Sermons

~ PRINCETON, N. J. ft

£/**#■ Number V.

Division .
Section .

SERMONS,

REV. JOHN VENN, M.A.

SERMONS

BY THE

REV. JOHN VENN, M. A,

RECTOR OF CLAP HAM.

IN THREE VOLUMES.

Vol. I.

THE THIRD EDITION,

LONDON:

PRINTED BY ELLERTON AND HENDERSON.
JOHNSON'S COURT, FLEET STREET:

AND SOLD BY J. HATCHARD, PICCADILLY; AND
R1VINGTONS, ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD.

1818.

PREFAC

IT has frequently been remarked concern-
ing literary men, that their lives afford few
incidents which are likely to engage the
attention of the public. This observation
seems especially applicable to persons who
have adorned the clerical profession. The
duties which devolve upon them have little
of variety, and less of ostentation : the pursuits
to which they are called are not of this world ;
and some, that will shine hereafter among
the brightest stars of the firmament, have
excited little interest beyond their appropriate
and limited sphere ; so silent was their pro-
gress, and so retiring and unobtrusive their
character.

Among those who have been most anxious
to escape observation, beyond the bounds of
their immediate circle, was the Author of
the following Sermons. It was his earnest

VI PREFACE.

and particular wish that nothing should be
recorded of him in the way of panegyric;
and his injunctions have not been disre-
garded. Far be it from the Editors of this
work to offend against a desire so humble
and devout, and so characteristic of the
individual who expressed it ; but they con-
sider it as an act of justice, both to the dead
and the living, not to send these volumes
into the world without some account, how-
ever brief, of the departed friend who com-
posed them : — and of such a man, how is it
possible to speak in language which shall
not serve to record their sense of his extra-
ordinary worth ?

The Rev. John Venn was born at Clap-
ham, on the 9th of March, 1759. He was
descended from a long line of clerical an-
cestors ; some of whom were remarkable for
independence of character, and some for
patience in suffering. So far as any know-
ledge of them is preserved, they appear to
have lived in the fear of God, and to have
been elevated far above the fear of man.
Their profession was sacred ; their lives

PREFACE. VII

reflected credit upon their profession ; and
their respected descendant has added new
lustre to their fair and honourable name.

His father was the Rev. Henry Venn,
well known as a most zealous and indefa-
tigable minister of the Church of England,
and as the author of that very useful and
popular work The Complete Duty of Man.
At the time of his son's birth he was curate
of Clapham : he removed afterwards to
Huddersfield in Yorkshire, where his labours
were abundantly blessed ; and he died vicar
of Yelling, in Huntingdonshire, on the £'4th
of June, 1797.

The subject of this memoir received
the early part of his education under Mr.
Shute, at Leeds. He was then removed to
Hipperholme School, where he was well
grounded in classics by the care of Mr,
Sutcliffe. He had afterwards the benefit of
the Rev. Joseph Milner's instruction, at the
Grammar School at Hull ; and of the Rev.
Thomas Robinson's and the Rev. William
Ludlam's, the last an eminent mathemati-
cian, at Leicester. He was admitted a mem-
ber of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge,

Vill PREFACE.

where he took the degree of A. B. in 1781.
In September, 1782, he was ordained dea-
con, as curate to his father : he entered into
priest's orders in March 1783, and two days
afterwards was instituted to the living of
little Dunham, in Norfolk, On the 22d
of October, 1789, he married Miss Catherine
King, of Hull, who died April 15, 1803,
leaving a family of seven children. In June,
1792, on the death of Sir J. Stonehouse, the
former rector, he was instituted to the living
of Clapham. In August, 1812, he married
Miss Turton, daughter of John Turton, Esq,
of Clapham. At this place he resided, with
little intermission, from the beginning of the
year 1793, to the day of his death.

It would be a pleasing task to enter, at
large, into the history of Mr. Venn's labours,
and to develop the full character of his
elevated, discriminating, and1 pious mind :
but, for the reason already assigned, the
Editors will do little more than cite the
testimony of two clergymen ; of whom the
one was the companion of his early lite, and
the other was intimately connected with him
at a time when his mental powers were in

PREFACE. IX

their full action and energy, and when, to
the zeal and piety which characterized his
youth, was superadded the wisdom of ma-
turer years. — " Mr. Venn," says the first of
these gentlemen, " I consider to have been
the oldest friend I had among my equals.
Long before either of us went to college
we were intimate, being children of parents
betwixt whom there existed the most cordial
and Christian friendship. After a separation
of some years, he came into residence, at
college, a few months before I took my
degree. But as I continued to reside in
Cambridge, our intimacy was renewed and
increased ; and he then discovered that
warmth of affection, and that soundness of
judgment and principle, which gained him
the esteem and love of all who knew him.
Through his influence were first formed
those little societies of religious young men,
which proved, I believe, a help and comfort
to many. At various times, after Mr. Venn's
institution to the living of Little Dunham,
I visited him, and witnessed his able, affec-
tionate, and zealous manner of addressing
his people. In 1792, he established the

X PREFACE.

Dunham Meeting of Clergy, which has con-
tinued to this time : it has proved a blessing
to that district, and has led, I believe, to the
establishment of another, on similar prin-
ciples, in another part of Norfolk*. At the
period of his removal from Dunham, his
modesty and disinterestedness were emi-
nently conspicuous; and his friendship to
me at that time I shall ever have cause to
remember with lively gratitude.

" As a father of a family 1 have always
admired Mr. Venn ; and I hardly ever visited
Clapham without being impressed with a
conviction that the blessing of Heaven was
upon him and his. No where did religion
appear in a more engaging form ; and the
impression which both his life and death
must have made upon his children and all his
friends, could not fail to convince them that
* the ways of wisdom are ways of pleasant-
ness, and all her paths are peace.' '

* It ought not to be forgotten that Mr. Venn was also the
projector and principal founder of the Church Missionary
Society to Africa and the East ; — a society which by its
subsequent progress reflects no small credit on the wisdom
and piety which led to its formation.

PREFACE. XI

Our second extract is from a sermon by
the Rev. Hugh Pearson, M.A. of St. John's
College, Oxford, preached in the Parish
Church of Clapham, on the occasion of Mr.
Venn's death.

" We are met," says Mr. Pearson, " this
day to deplore the loss of one of the best
and greatest men, of one of the most emi-
nent and useful ministers, whom we have
ever known. The all-wise and gracious,
though, as in many other instances, myste-
rious, providence of God has been pleased
to remove him from us ; and painful and
difficult as it may in some respects prove, it
is our duty, and I trust it will be our endea-
vour, humbly to submit to the dispensation,
and diligently to profit by the various lessons
of instruction which it so loudly speaks to us.
Known as your late excellent Pastor must
be to most of you by the intercourse and
experience of more than twenty years, you
will still doubtless expect from me, on this
mournful occasion, some notice of his cha-
racter, some mention of his virtues. Yet if,
in the performance of this grateful service,
I should appear, in any measure, to violate

XU PREFACE.

that unaffected modesty, that deep humility,
which distinguished and adorned his cha-
racter, and which expressly and earnestly
sought to prevent any adequate tribute to
his merits, let it not be ascribed to any for-
getfulness of this excellence, or to any op-
position to his known wishes ; but to the
influence of emotions which cannot and
ought not to be repressed, of claims which
cannot be resisted, of obligations alike owing
to the great and glorious Being who made
him what he was, and to the grateful and
affectionate people who esteemed and valued
him as he deserved. In truth,

" It were profane
To quench a glory lighted at the skies,
And cast in shadows his illustrious close. .

"In delineating the character of our revered
friend, it is far from my intention to attempt
any thing elaborate or complete ; the pres-
sure, no less of time than of feeling, forbids
the one ; my own real inability, and my
regard to what would have been the wishes
of him whom we lament, would prevent the
other. My only aim will be, to offer such
a brief sketch of a few of the most promi-

PREFACE. Xlll

nent and valuable features of his character,
as may tend to excite our admiration of the
graces which were vouchsafed to him, and
our sense of responsibility for the long-con-
tinued exercise of them for our own benefit.

" The Christian Minister, whose premature
removal (if the expression may be allowed
as to any dispensation of Divine Provi-
dence) we are this day met to deplore* was
adorned by nature with a sound and power-
ful understanding, with a rich and fertile
imagination, with a correct and discrimi-
nating judgment, with atemper uncommon-
ly mild and gentle, with affections peculiarly
benevolent and tender. Cultivated, enrich-
ed, and exalted as these natural endowments
were by the stores of learning, observation,
and science, and by ' the wisdom' and
the grace which are ' from above,' they
united in forming him to all that is most
excellent and desirable in the Minister and
the Man.

" As a minister, need I in this place enume-
rate the principal qualities by which he was
distinguished? If it be necessary to specify
some of them, I would first mention that of

xiv PREFACE.

which alone he would allow himself to be
possessed; Ids fidelity in the interpretation and
exposition of Scripture; his integrity in preach-
ing that Word of God which had been com-
mitted to his trust, that Gospel of Christ of
which he was a Minister. In the execution
of this most important part of his ministerial
duty he regarded no peculiar system., farther
than as the great doctrines of Christianity
are clearly and simply drawn from Scripture,
and are embodied in the Articles and Liturgy
of that Church to which he was so sincerely
and zealously attached, and of which he
was so distinguished an ornament. He was
studious and careful, therefore, to set before
you a complete and comprehensive view of
the revealed will of God, giving a propor-
tionate measure of attention to the truths
and doctrines, the precepts and examples,
the promises and threatenings of Scripture ;
being anxious that none of those committed
to his care should err from want of direction,
should fail for want of encouragement,
should slumber from the neglect of warning
and exhortation, should * perish for lack of
knowledge.' His doctrine distilled like the

PREFACE. XV

dew, and nourished and refreshed those on
whom it descended. He fed his flock * with
knowledge and understanding,' and led them
to the great and ' good Shepherd/ who
laid down his life for the sheep, whom he
uniformly represented as ' the way, the
truth, and the life;' without whose atone-
ment, righteousness, and intercession, we
cannot be forgiven and accepted in the sight
of God ; without obedience to whose pre-
cepts as to the various duties which we
owe both to God and man, the imbibing of
whose spirit, the imitation of whose example,
we cannot be his true disciples ; without
whose all-powerful grace we can become and
can do nothing. In short, ' by manifestation
of the truth he commended himself/ as a
faithful minister of Christ, t to every man's
conscience in the sight of God; warning
every man, and teaching every man in all
wisdom, that he might present every man
perfect in Christ Jesus.'

" In the discharge of this part of his mini-
sterial office, shall I speak of the remarkable
originality of your departed Pastor ; of the
rich and copious, and varied streams of piety,

XVI PREFACE.

truth, and eloquence, which flowed from his
lips; of that noble and sublime train of
thought, which frequently elevated hishearers
above the business, the cares, and the plea-
sures of this lower world; of that spirituality
and heavenly-mindedness, which made him
occasionally speak of heaven almost as if
he had been there, and raised you for the
moment, and I would hope, with respect to
many, more permanently, to that eminence
on which he was habitually seated ! In
these, and in many other qualities, he will
readily be admitted, by all who knew him,
to have been unequalled and unrivalled.

" Nor were these his only, if they were even
his chief, claims to your admiration and re-
gard. The Lent Lectures, which during so
many years were exclusively devoted to
the moral and religious improvement of the
younger part of his flock, and which have
been so remarkably blessed to their spiritual
benefit ; the Society for improving the tem-
poral condition of the Poor in this Parish,
and for providing in some measure for his
own unavoidable but lamented deficiency
in personally administering to their spiritual

PREFACE. XV 1L,

wants; the enlargement of the Parochia*
School ; the share which he took in the
establishment of a local Bible Society ; the
plan for the better accommodation of the
increasing population of the parish, as to
the public worship of Almighty God, — all
proclaim his pastoral care and kindness, his
practical wisdom, his unwearied and bene-
ficial exertions for the temporal and eternal
welfare of his flock.

" If from this brief and imperfect sketch
of his ministerial character, we direct our
attention to our departed friend, as a MAN,
we shall be equally struck with the extra-
ordinary value of the blessing which we
have recently lost. — Humility, profound and
unvarying humility, the foundation of all
that is great and excellent and amiable in
man, was remarkably conspicuous in him
whom we are lamenting. Not only was he
humble as a sinner before God, ever acknow-
ledging his own un worthiness, and accepting
the ' faithful saying' of the Gospel, as the
chief of sinners ; but humble in his inter-
course with men ; and with those amongst
whom it is most difficult hoth to be and to

VOL. I. b

XVlll PREFACE.

appear so, with his associates and equals ;
riot affectedly, however, obtrusively, or pain-
folly humble ; but manifesting upon all oc-
casions the most marked yet unostentatious
apprehension of his own inferiority ; eagerly
and cordially allowing and assigning to
others a large share of the merit, or the
praise, which every one else perceived to be
far more justly due to himself; frequently
lamenting his imperfections and deficiencies
in duty ; thinking nothing of his eminent
and various services; and willingly perform-
ing the least and lowest offices of kindness
and love.

" Universal benevolence, and uncommon ten-
derness, were other striking features in the
character we are considering* — His love
of man was indeed inferior only to his love
of God. It was the element in which he
moved in his intercourse with others ; and
the kindness which warmed his heart, beam-
ed forth in his countenance, and was mani-
fest in all his words and actions. This truly
Christian temper was steady and invariable,
and prompted him to a thousand nameless
expressions of it, which diffused an air of

PREFACE. XIX

peace and harmony, of benevolence and
happiness, over all around htm.

" Disi?iterestedness, a greatness and mag-
nanimity which overlooked all that was en-
vious, little, or selfish, was another admirable
quality which distinguished your late excel-
lent Minister, and which could not escape
the notice of the most superficial observer
of his conduct.

" 1 might mention the remarkable soundness
of his judgment, which rendered him so wise
and able a counsellor ; the singular sobriety
of his views, possessed as he was of such
genius and talent ; and the equanimity and
well-balanced proportion of his whole cha-
racter. But enough has been already said,
and much more will readily occur to those
who have been so long and so intimately
acquainted with his excellence, to prove the
value of what was once enjoyed, and the
greatness of our present loss.

" That such a Minister and such a Man
should have been thus removed in the midst
of his years, and in the midst of his useful-
ness, is one of those mysteries in Providence,
which we too often witness, but endeavour

b2

XX PREFACE.

in vain fully to comprehend, f For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are
your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For
as the heavens are higher than the earth, so
are my ways higher than your ways, and
my thoughts than your thoughts.' We may,
indeed, consider, that your late Pastor had
been long spared to you ; that he had taught,
and exemplified, and effected much for your
benefit; and that he was peculiarly qualified
to be an inhabitant of that higher world to
which he had long aspired, and for the en-
joyment of which he was anxiousry training
you. Still there will remain in this mourn-
ful dispensation of Providence, much that is
painful, trying, and, for the present, inex-
plicable. In one respect, however, it is
calculated to afford us the most important
instruction and consolation. During the
lengthened and afflicting illness which ter-
minated in the death of our lamented friend,
he exhibited an example of the infinite ex-
cellence and value of the Gospel, of the solid
peace, the firm hope, the joy unspeakable,
which it inspires; of the meekness, the pa-
tience; the submission, the resignation, the

PREFACE. XXI

spiritual and heavenly temper of the true
Christian ; an example which infinitely
exceeds the most laboured and finished
description of those blessings, and was
doubtless intended, as it is eminently suited,
to produce the deepest and most beneficial
impressions upon our minds.

"The hour of sickness and the bed of
death are the times which more especially
try the stability of the foundation on which
the Christian hope is built : it is then that
the real character appears, that the genuine
dispositions of the soul are manifest, and
that the supports and consolations of Divine
Grace are most abundantly vouchsafed to
the faithful servants of Christ. It was thus
with the pious and excellent subject of these
remarks. Living as he had done the life of
the righteous, it could scarcely be doubted,
that he would in sickness possess his peace
and comfort, and in death enjoy his blessed-
ness and hope. Accordingly, your departed
Minister afforded a most animating and
edifying example of the reality and power
of religion, of the faithfulness of God to his
promises, of the triumph of the Gospel of

XXli PREFACE.

Christ over all the miseries of nature, over
sickness and pain, and anxiety and fear, over
sin and sorrow, and over the last enemy, even
death itself. Our dear and valued friend was
exercised, during his illness, with long-con-
tinued and excruciating pain : yet, amidst his
severest sufferings, no impatient or complain-
ing word was heard to proceed out of his
lip's. His language was uniformly expres-
sive of patience and resignation to the holy
will of God ; and once, in the very words of
a most devout and distinguished Christian
(the learned, pious, and judicious Hooker),
whom in many respects he nearly resem-
bled ; ' Since I owe thee a death, Lord, let

* it not be terrible, and then take thy own
' time ; I submit to it ! Let not mine, O

* Lord, but let thy will be done.'

" That filial confidence in God, which
had ever formed a distinguishing part of
his character, was strikingly displayed in his
last illness. Few men, perhaps, had stronger
ties to bind them to this world, or more
powerful and affecting motives to the love
of longer life, than your departed Minister :
yet all was subdued to the will of God ; all

PREFACE. XXU1

was resigned to his infinitely wise and holy
appointments. Fie doubted not the wisdom,
the mercy, and the goodness of the dispen-
sation which was about to separate him from
the duties of his ministerial service, and the
objects of his tenderest earthly affections;
and under the influence of Divine Grace he
soared above the present world, and anti-
cipated the society, the employments, and
the pleasures of the blessed inhabitants of
heaven. Yet as long as he remained in this
state of trial, he was occupied in prayers for
his flock, that the great Head of the Church
would bestow upon them a faithful, able,
and laborious pastor ; for his family, that
they might be guided and supported, com-
forted and blessed ; for himself, that patience
might have its perfect work ; that he might
be sanctified in body, soul, and spirit ; that
he might be guided by the Divine counsel
whilst here, and at length be received to
glory. Thankful for the abundant blessings
he had enjoyed ; full of consideration, ten-
derness, and love to all around him) he
looked forward to the hour of dissolution
not only without dismay, but with hope and

XXIV PREFACE.

joy. He declared that the light affliction
he was then enduring was working out for
him a far more exceeding and eternal weight
of glory ; that the sting of death was taken
away ; that although he walked through its
dark valley, he feared no evil ; that the rod
and staff of his heavenly Shepherd supported
and comforted him ; that he knew whom he
had believed, and was persuaded that he was
able to keep that which he had committed
unto him against that day ; that, though heart
and flesh were failing, God was the strength
of his heart, and his portion for ever. The
language of praise was indeed almost con-
stantly heard from his mouth. Though so
frequently tortured with pain, and exhausted
with weakness, these were the strains in
which he often expressed his gratitude and
love to his God and Saviour :

" I'll praise Him while he lends me breath;
And when my voice is lost in death

Praise shall employ my nobler powers:
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
While life and thought and being last,

Or immortality endures.

" I should detain you too long, if I were

PREFACE. XXV

to detail but a small part of the truly divine
and Christian words which proceeded out
of his lips, during the progress of his long
and fatal illness. What I have just stated
will, I am persuaded, he sufficient to con-
vince you, how eminent and undoubted an
example your deceased Pastor afforded of
the power and excellency of that Gospel
which he had so faithfully preached ; and
how earnestly it is to be desired by every
one of us, that we may resemble him in our
lives, that so our last end may be like his !

" And here I should at once proceed to
exhort you to be followers of him as he was
of Christ, if I had not a far more interesting
and impressive Address to present to you than
any which I could imagine. I hold in my
hand part of a Pastoral Letter intended to
be addressed to you by your late invaluable
Minister; dictated not long before his la-
mented death, but interrupted by the unex-
pected and rapid progress of disease and
weakness. Yet though it is, alas ! but a
fragment, you will, I am sure, receive it with
all that reverence and affection which it so
justly demands. It is thus entitled : —

XXVI PREFACE.

" ' A Pastoral Farewell Address from the Rev.
John Venn, Rector of Clapham, to his re-
spected and beloved Flock.
" ' My dear Friends,

" ' I cannot quit the pastoral relation which
I have so long held over you, without ex-
pressing my deep sense of obligation to you,
and without giving you my last friendly
advice. For twenty years I have lived
amongst you, and preached to you. With
respect to myself, I have humbly to request
you to pardon the many deficiencies in my
ministry and conduct of which I am now
deeply sensible. But with respect to one
thing, I can truly say that I have acquitted
my duty faithfully and conscientiously. I
have taken much pains to understand accu-
rately, and impartially to preach to you, the
Gospel of Christ, as it appeared to me to be
delivered by Christ and his Apostles. In
this respect I have called no man master ;
nor have I ever, in any one instance that I
know ofc for the sake of system, given an
interpretation to any part of the word of
God which I was not fully convinced, after

PREFACE. XXV11

the most mature deliberation, to be just and
right : so that I can truly say, I have not
shunned to declare unto you the whole
counsel of God.

" 'And now, with respect to yourselves, I
have to return you mv most sincere thanks
for your kind, and tender, and candid ac-
ceptance of my labours amongst you. I
have met with daily instances of attention,
civility, and affection ; and I cannot recollect,
that in the whole course of my ministry I
have met with a single instance of rudeness
or incivility. You have been ready to
forward every good work which I have
proposed. With a more attentive audience
no pastor was ever blessed : the decency and
devotion of your conduct in the house of
God have been such as to attract the notice
and excite the admiration of every stranger.
By your kind assistance and liberality, I
have been enabled to complete the three
things nearest my heart : — by the enlarge-
ment of our School, every child in the
parish may be gratuitously taught to read ;
by the institution of the Bible Society, every
family will be supplied with a Bible ; and

XXVIII PREFACE.

by the erection of a Chapel of Ease (the
Bill for which has already passed Parlia-
ment), accommodation will be provided
for every inhabitant to worship God with
facility and convenience. These are bless-
ings which rarely fall to the lot of a Minister
in so short a period.

" * But now, mv beloved friends, when I
am standing upon the verge of eternity, and
looking forward to the time when you and
I must meet together before the awful tri-
bunal of God, suffer me, I entreat you, to
warn you, that you stop not short in the
mere forms of religion. Suffer me to remind
you of some of the principal doctrines which
I have ever insisted upon amongst you, and
which now, at the hour of death, appear
to me to be more important and real than
ever.

" 'The foundation of all my preaching
amongst you has been this ; that we are
naturally in a corrupt state, alienated from
God, and subject therefore to the just dis-.
pleasure and condemnation of the Almighty;
that it is the chief business of man in this
life, and his first and most important duty.

PREFACE. XXix

to seek deliverance from that state, that he
may be reconciled to God '

" Here, I regret to say, this interesting
and valuable Farewell Address from your
late beloved Pastor, ends. It bears upon it
striking marks of his characteristic humility,
faithfulness, and concern for the spiritual
and eternal welfare of his flock: and 1 can-
not doubt, that its simple, affectionate, and
weighty import will make a deep and lasting
impression upon your minds. The long
and uniform tenor of his preaching may
enable you to conjecture what would pro-
bably have been the substance of his advice
and exhortation, had he been permitted to
have completed this parting address. He
would doubtless have repeated, what he had
so frequently declared, and on which he had
been accustomed so copiously and ably to
enlarge; — that the deliverance of fallen, sin-
ful man, was to be sought by faith in our
Lord Jesus Christ, as the only and all-suffi-
cient Saviour; and by the renewing and
sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit,

XXX PREFACE.

to be obtained by fervent and persevering
prayer."

After several weeks of great suffering, he
finished his course on the morning of the first
of July, 1813. His remains were followed to
the grave by a large concourse of his mourn-
ing parishioners, and of his friends both clergy
and laymen ; by several of whom it was after-
wards unanimously determined to raise a mo-
nument to his memoty, as an evidence to
future times of his singular worth and of
their affection. — It is to be lamented that
Mr. Venn prepared no Sermons for the press.
The following Discourses were selected from
his manuscripts ; and may therefore be re-
ceived as a fair exhibition of his manner,
and sentiments, and doctrine. But the
Editors themselves are in a measure re-
sponsible for any defects which may be dis-
covered in the style. Mr. Venn addressed
one of them in the following terms, a few
months before he died : — ?• I request you to
point out from recollection, as well as you

PREFACE. XXXI

can, those Sermons of mine which you may
think to be the least unworthy of the public
eye. I must further trust to your kindness
in taking a share in giving them that cor-
rection which is absolutely necessary for
their publication, leaving as much as you can
unaltered, &c." They have been anxious
to present this work to the public eye in
the state in which they conceive that Mr.
Venn himself would have wished it to ap-
pear ; and they dismiss it from their hands
with an earnest prayer that it may be effec-
tual, by the blessing of God, to the conver-
sion and salvation of many souls.

The following inscription appears on the
Monument : —

o

Ch •-

O O

cd ?

« a a o o 2

^ r ^ «, m r

Z 2

2 «

z o

25

s

o

— >
a
z

td

~*

3
>

td

2*

Q .

z h

< z

► «

u - rf

O 3 O

ago

w r z

►J O

5 2 B

ss s a

O J s

fa p s

o 3 2

° a *

z £

ti 63 O

h tf H

j s o

H &3 ft!

5 tu i/j

< fj 5

z J 2

< J i

22

e5 co
o _

fa C

U M

"> a

Q

HEpa

o a a

Id > „

a , 5

O a ,/,

< r 5

w < 2

a h >

Q 5 W

13

en H

Sg

z 3
w a
a «

U

cd c5
d o

< H
Ef B

Z & W

a* P -? S SB. <S 2 S 1

04

E

9

o
z
5 5

fa u S2

a
w
PB
E

= £ H

c * < s B

O td
Z P<

< 6 a

a ^ j

s «

z o

R'B

cs as

H O

a |

Z o4

<: A

o

z a

z fa

< pi

5«

2 X

h fa 2

2 id
£ a z
a 9 3

3 ™ °3
K ft. 2

? o >

55 O z

Id < O

Z £ (h

Z , -J

< « aj

S B <

S Cxf g

a a

§2

es<55i=?

a z

Z »J = = >

a ■ b r* s

H ^

z Cd

Id T"

I"

S H

a x
a ^

£ S o

■s

pi

3

E
H

a

H

2 w

« < ^ << 2 R
a . £ H b. t?

B5

-►J<.<a-j—zZ

mmm Cd a

P- s>

g; e. >

Ed O

a aj

s

en cd

= td

|H PS

sa

td M
J O

. a

o 2 J"

Z M ""

«* td
Cd cie

O

- 2 Q o
n S 3?

1-1

u. <n 5

a a a

2 2 u

</3
>< td
iJ >J
U> CQ

a w

(4 fa

a °

a

OS
N

O

B

55

O .
O 00

SS

g«

fa aj

B a

§ I

fa 35

a cd

B ^

§§

s<
fa .

o >r

5 a
o o

cd a

B §

a j-*

s« a

2 a

z S

p cd

W W
W S

£ 03
S «

5?

a h

ia

tj »

Sg

pi ^
> *

o 2

a es

PS Cd

BSB
H y

>2

M H

o fa
E o

B°

■^ z

S w
td a
a a

ft!
g

i

a

a

a

w

Li

o

Cd

a

a

H
fa
O
<n

a
z

w

2

£

z"

o
B
o

cd
fa
fa

<

a

z

<

H
O

td
ft.
e«

a
Pi
fa
o

>>

z

o

i

fa

H

a

td
H
O
W
ftS
b)
</>

H
Z

«

a
a
z
o
X

«9

&
H

CONTENTS

OF

VOL. I.

SERMON I.

THE IMPORTANCE AND DIFFICULTIES OF THE

CHRISTIAN MINISTRY,

I Cor. ii. 3. — I was with you in weakness, and in fear,
and in much trembling 1

SERMON II.

ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

Mark xvi. 15. — And he said unto them, Go ye into all
the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. 16

SERMON III.

THE GLORY OF GOD.

Exod. xxxiii. 18.— And he said, I beseech thee, shew
me thy glory 34

SERMON IV.

ON GOOD WORKS.

Jame$ ii. 24, — Ye see then how that by works a man is
justified, and not by faith only , 50

VOL. I. C

XXXIV CONTENTS.

Page

SERMON V.

THE PRAYER OF ST. PAUL FOR THE EPHE-

SIANS.

Ephes. iii. 14—19. — For this cause I bow my knees
unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the
whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he
would grant you, according to the riches of his glory,
to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the
inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith ; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend, with all saints, what
is the breadth and length, and depth and height;
and to know the love of Christ which passeth know-
ledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of
God C5

SERMON VI.

STATE OF THE SAINTS ABOVE CONTRASTED
WITH THEIR FORMER CONDITION BELOW.

Revel, vii. 9 — 17. — After this I beheld, and, lo, a great
multitude, which no man could number, of all na-
tions, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood
before the Throne, and before the Lamb, clothed
with white robes, and palms in their hands; and
cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God
which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
And all the angels stood round about the Throne,
and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell be-
fore the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
saying, Amen: blessiug, and glory, and wisdom, and
thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be
unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of

CONTENTS. XXXV

Page
the elders answered, saying unto me, Wbat are these
which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came
they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And
he sai to me, These are they which came out of
great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb. There-
fore ate they before the throne of God, and serve him
day and night in his temple : and he that sitteth on the
throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger
no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the
sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb,
which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them,
and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters:
and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes... 82

SERMON VII.

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS — GOD
MANIFEST IN THE FLESH.

I Tim. iii. 14 — 16 — These things write I unto thee,
hoping to come unto thee shortly : but if I tarry long,
that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave
thyself in the house of God, which is the church of
the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
And, without controversy, great is the mystery of
godliness : God was manifest in the flesh, justified
in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into
\ glory 101

SERMON VIII.

ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.

Matt, xxviii. 19. — Go ye, therefore, and teach all
nations ; baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost 122

XXXVI CONTENTS.

Page

SERMON IX.

HOW ABRAHAM SAW THE DAY OF CHRIST,
AND IN WHAT WAY THE TYPES IN THE
OLD TESTAMENT REFERRED TO CHRIST.

John viii. 56. — Your father Abraham rejoiced to see
my day; and he saw it, and was glad 139

SERMON X.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PATRIARCHAL,
JEWISH, AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS.

Luke x. 23, 24. — Blessed are the eyes which see the
things that ye see. For I tell you that many prophets
and kings have desired to see those things which ye
see, and have not seen them ; and to hear those things
n liich ye hear, and have not heard them 157

SERMON XI.

ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

1 John i. 3, 4. — That which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship
with us ; and truly our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things
write we unto you, that your joy may be full . 177

SERMON XII.

ON COMMUNION WITH THE ANGELS.

Heb. xii. 22. — Ye are come to an innumerable com-
pany of angels ...» 192

CONTENTS. XXXVII

Page

SERMON XIII.

ON THE EFFECT OF SEEING GOD AS HE IS,

1 John iii. 2. — Beloved, now are we the sons of God ;
and it doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but we
know, that when He shall appear we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is 210

SERMON XIV.

UNDUE REGARD TO REPUTATION A SOURCE
OF UNBELIEF.

John v. 44.— How can ye believe, which receive honour
one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh
from God only? 228

SERMON XV.

ON THE CAUSES OF UNTHANKFULN ESS.
Rom. i. 21. — Neither were thankful 246

SERMON XVI.

THE TARES AND THE WHEAT.

Matt. xiii. 28—80. — The servants said unto him, Wilt
thou then that we go and gather them up? But he
said, Nay, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root
up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together
until the harvest 261

XXXV111 CONTENTS.

Page

SERMON XVII.

INDECISION IN RELIGION.

1 Kings xviii. 21. — How long halt ye between two opi-
nions? If the Lord be God, follow him ; but if Baal,
then follow him 276

SERMON XVIII.

THF FALL AND PUNISHMENT OF DAVID
ILLUSTRATED.

2 Sam. xii. 7. — And Nathan said to David, Thou art

the man 292

SERMON XIX.

ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL.

James iii. 5. — Behold how great a matter a little fire
kindleth! , 306

SERMON XX.

THE NATURE AND VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE.

Psalm Ixxxix. 47. — Remember how short my time is.
Wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?..,......... 321

SERMON XXI.

THE CHRISTIAN'S STATE OF PILGRIMAGE ON

EARTH.

Heb. xi. 13. — And confessed that they were strangers
and pilgrims on the earth 336

CONTENTS. XXXIX

Page

SERMON XXII.

ON FASTING.

2 Chron. xx. 3.— And Jehoshaphat feared, and set
himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast
throughout all Judah 352

SERMON I.

THE IMPORTANCE AND DIFFICULTIES OF
THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY.

PREACHED AT CLAPHAM, ON HIS INDUCTION.

] COR. ii. 3.

1 was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in
much trembling.

oT. PAUL had been educated in the learning,
and instructed in all the religious knowledge, of
the age in which he lived. He belonged to the
strictest sect of his religion ; had been from his
youth blameless in his moral conduct; was con-
verted to the Christian faitli by a special revela-
tion of Christ, and appointed by him to be a
chosen vessel to bear his name before the Gen-
tiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. In
knowledge of the Gospel, and success in preach-
ing it ; in love to Christ, and sufferings for his

V©L. I. B

2 IMPORTANCE AND DIFFICULTIES

sake ; in spiritual gifts, and the abundance of
revelations, he was " not a whit behind the very
chiefest Apostle." Nevertheless, he observes to
his Corinthian disciples, that when he first came
to them, it was " in weakness, and in fear, and in
much trembling." If such were his feelings, what
should be mine !

I am well aware of the caution which is neces-
sary in applying to ourselves any expressions of the
Sacred Writers. Without a guarded attention
to the circumstances in which they stood, there is
great danger of employing their words in such a
manner as to sanction our own ignorance or pre-
sumption. But the text expresses, so exactly, and
so feelingly, the sentiments with which I now
address you, that I trust I shall stand excused
before God and you for my adoption of them.

The language which the Apostle used implies a
distressing sense of inability rightly to discharge
the duties of his office, and a painful fear lest he
should be found wanting. I shall consider the
causes which must produce in every Christian
Minister the same apprehension. They may be
reduced to three principal considerations : —

I. The importance of the trust reposed in him ;

II. The difficulty of the service itself; and,

III. The aggravation of that difficulty pro-
duced by his own infirmity and corruption.

OF THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 3

I. The importance of the trust reposed in
every Minister may be inferred both from the good
effects produced by a due discharge of his sacred
office, and from the evil consequences of a neg-
ligent discharge of it. Let us consider these
effects, first, in their most extensive operation.

It requires but little attention to perceive that
a very close connection subsists between the cha-
racter of a Nation and that of the Ministers by
whom it is instructed. Are they pure in their
doctrines, holy and exemplary in their lives, di-
ligent in the discharge of their duties, and im-
pressed with a deep sense of the weight of spi-
ritual and eternal things ? The national character
will, under the Divine blessing, be in a measure
conformed to theirs, and will take the impress of
their virtues. Let them, on the contrary, dege-
nerate, and become earthly-minded, sensual, and
corrupt: the fountains being thus polluted, the
streams will almost inevitably become impure
also. And that which takes place in a nation
will be found to hold in a parish. Due allowance
being made in this, as in every other instance, for
the restraining effect of other causes ; the spirit
of a Minister will generally be infused into his
Congregation. They will rarely be zealous in
religion while he is lukewarm, or altogether care-
less in the service of God while he is active in it.

b 2

4 IMPORTANCE AND DIFFICULTIES

But, to view the subject in a narrower compass,
let us observe the effect which the instructions of
the Preacher may have on Individuals. — The Go-
spel is the great remedy supplied by God for the
disorders introduced into the world by sin ; and
the dispensing of this remedy is intrusted to his
Ministers. They are the stewards of his mys-
teries, the shepherds of his flock, and labourers
together with God. He has chosen to commit the
treasure of his Gospel to " earthen vessels." He
communicates to men spiritual health by the hand
of their fellow-sinners, in the same manner as he
healed the sick by the hands of his Apostles and
Prophets. Wherever, therefore, his Gospel is
faithfully delivered, his blessing may be expected
to attend it. The sinner will be awakened, grace
will be imparted, faith Mill be strengthened, and
hope enlivened. The fruits of love to God, and
of cheerful obedience to his law, will be produced;
and a spirit of benevolence and charity to man
will be diffused. These, even if estimated as
referring to this life only, are important benefits ;
but they become invaluable when referred to
eternity. They constitute the purest and most
perfect happiness of this world, and are the
earnest of glory in the next. But to point out
the value of these blessings, is to shew not only
the importance of the office of the Minister, by

OF THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. , 5

whom they are dispensed, but his responsibility
and his danger. Let him ponder upon eternity,
let him estimate the value of the soul and the
■worth of spiritual blessings, and he cannot enter
upon his sacred office without fear and trem-
bling.

But, weighty as is this consideration, there is
another which appears to me not inferior to it, in
estimating the importance of the trust reposed ia
a Christian Minister : The honour of Christ, and
the glory of his Gospel, are intrusted to him. — It
has pleased God to ordain, that the preaching of
the Gospel shall be the chief instrument by which
the name of Christ shall be made known, and his
glory celebrated. Does the Minister of the Go-
spel duly dwell upon the power and grace of
Christ, upon the dignity of his person, and the
merit of his death ? These glorious subjects will
be understood ; Christ will be honoured and obey-
ed ; the influence of the Spirit will be sought ; God
will be worshipped through the Mediator, and will
leceive the fresh tribute of praise for his mercy
in the work of Redemption. It is true, that by
the reading of the Bible, as well as by preaching,
the same knowledge may be attained, and the
same effects produced : but whatever influence
private reading may have upon some individuals,
the great mass of society must necessarily either

O IMPORTANCE AND DIFFICULTIES

learn the Gospel of Christ from preaching, or not
know it at all.

It is remarkable, that although the word of God
was already in the hands of the Ethiopian Eunuch,
the Spirit of God brought an Apostle from a dis-
tant part of Judea to communicate, through his
means, the knowledge of Christ; — a sufficient proof
that it is agreeable to the economy of Divine Wis-
dom to make use of the agency of Ministers for
imparting the blessings of the Gospel. But what
is man, or the best and ablest of men, that he
should be thus put in trust, as it were, with the
glory of Him who sitteth above all, the Lord of
heaven and earth ? Well may he, to whom this
solemn charge is intrusted, enter upon it in " weak-
ness, and in fear, and in much trembling."

Should any one be inclined to think that I too
much magnify my office, let him reflect upon the
responsibility annexed to it. — There is little to be
envied, when the post of pre-eminence is the post
of extreme danger : for, if God has intrusted us
with a great charge, he will demand of us a solemn
account of the manner in which we have executed
it. Where " much is given, much will be re-
quired." If the Minister, who is sent to be the
pattern and guide of the flock, be negligent or un-
faithful, his guilt is great, and his punishment will
be severe.

OF THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 7

These are the words of the Lord to Ezekiel,
and they are applicable to every Minister : — " Son
of man ! I have made thee a watchman unto the
house of Israel ; therefore hear the word at my
mouth, and give them warning from me. When
I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die ; and
thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn
the wicked from his wicked way to save his life,
the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but
his blood will I require at thine hand." Again :
" When a righteous man doth turn from his righ^-
teousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a
stumbling-block before him, he shall die : ber
cause thou hast not given him warning, he shall
die in his sin, and his righteousness which he
hath done shall not be remembered ; but his
blood will I require at thine hand." And is it
thus with every watchman of God, that he shall
not only answer for his own sins, but for those
of the flock committed to his care, if he warn
them not, nor lead them in the right way ? Alas !
who can enter upon such a charge without fear and
trembling ?

II. If the importance of the work of the Mi-
nistry must produce a sense of weakness and fear,
these emotions will be exceedingly increased if we
add the consideration of its difficulty.

8 IMPORTANCE AND DIFFICULTIES

It is a difficult service in its own nature. Were
the work of a preacher indeed confined to the de-
livery of a moral discourse, this would not be an
arduous task. But a Minister of the Gospel has
much more to do. He will endeavour, under
Divine Grace, to bring every individual in his
congregation to live uo longer to himself, but unto
Him who died for us. But here the passions, the
prejudices, and perhaps the temporal interests of
men combine to oppose his success. It is not
easy to obtain any influence over the mind of an-
other ; but to obtain such an influence as to direct
it contrary to the natural current of its desires
and passions, is a work of the highest difficulty.
Yet such is the work of a Minister; He has to
arrest the sinner in his course of sin ; to shake
his strong hold of security; to make the stout-
hearted tremble under the .denunciation of God's
judgment; to lead him so to deny himself, as to
sacrifice the inclinations most dear to him — to
repent, and become a new creature. Neither is
the work of the Ministry less arduous in respect
to those who are not open and profligate sinners.
Self-love, the most powerful passion of the human
breast, will render it equally difficult to convince
the formalist of the unsoundness of his religion,
the pharisee of the pride of his heart, and the
mere moralist of his deficiency in the sight of God.

OF T1IK CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 0

In all these cases, we have to convey unpleasant
tidings; to persuade to what is disagreeable; to effect
not only a reformation in the conduct of men, and
a regulation of their passions, but, what is of still
higher difficulty, a change in their good opinion of
themselves. Nay, further, we have not merely to
" wrestle against flesh and blood, but against prin-
cipalities and powers, against the rulers of the dark-
ness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places." " Who is sufficient for these things? "

III. When a Minister, deeply impressed with
the importance and difficulty of his work,
looks into his own heart, to explore the re-
sources with which he is furnished for so difficult
a service ; there, alas ! he meets with little that
does not serve to increase his sense of weakness,
and to confirm his fears. For it must be remem-
bered, that he is a man of like passions with his
flock, inheriting a body of corruption ; that he is,
perhaps, deficient in ability, perhaps unfortunate
in the natural constitution of his mind ; that, at all
events, he has to struggle with infirmities, is ex-
posed to temptations, has more to accomplish than
others, as well as greater difficulties to surmount;
and that, whilst more will be expected from him,
in himself he may have no resources above those
of any of his congregation.

10 IMPORTANCE AND DIFFICULTIES

Suffer me to enumerate some particulars, which
my own feelings suggest as likely to produce an
affecting sense of weakness in every Christian
Pastor.

A want of wisdom and spiritual understanding,
is one of the first things which presents itself. —
When the question is proposed, Will you under-
take to be the instructor of a congregation in
matters of the greatest import ; who would not
tremble to answer in the affirmative ? Consider the
various errors which have distracted the religious
world ; reflect upon the dangerous consequences
of error in the way of salvation. Can you hope
to discover the way of truth ? Can you presume
to be the guide of others? To such questions a
Minister will reply, by entreating his congregation
to join their prayers with his, that the Spirit of
Truth may lead him into the knowledge of " the
truth as it is in Jesus."

A want of ability in the mode of communi-
cating religious instruction, is another subject of
anxiety to a Minister. — There is great danger lest
a good cause should suffer by the inefficient or
imprudent mode in which it is maintained. An
uninteresting manner or an indiscreet zeal, too
great laxity or unnecessary severity, may be
equally hurtful. When the awful judgments of
God are to be denounced, it requires much cau*

OF THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 11

tion to combine, with manifest hatred of the sin,
tenderness to the sinner. There is a limit, not
easily to be found, where reproof tends to exas-
perate, rather than to amend ; where it ceases
to promote reformation, and begins to provoke
resistance.

A good intention will, however, do much to
prevent the bad consequences which may arise
from want of wisdom or ability. But there is
another weakness, more pernicious in its conse-
quences : I mean, a iv ant of courage. — To " fight
the good fight of faith;" to speak honestly and
openly ; to rebuke vice wheresoever it appears; to
incur displeasure rather than spare a prevailing
error; to assert the cause of God in the face of
licentiousness and infidelity ; perhaps to suffer in
reputation, to be misrepresented, to be exposed to
ridicule (and to these trials both Ministers and the
Master of Ministers have been called); — these
things require no little courage. St. Paul entreats
the Ephesian disciples to pray, that even he might
be enabled to "speak, boldly, as he ought to
speak."

But, alas! want of courage is but one weakness
out of many, which spring from the fruitful source
of the corruption of the nature of man. This
corruption itself it is which is calculated to bring
the Minister before his people in " weakness, and in

12 IMPORTANCE AND DIFFICULTIES

fear, and in much trembling." If he asks his own
heart, Where is the ardent love to Christ, the
compassion for perishing sinners, the delight in
the service of God, which are the qualifications
of a faithful pastor? Where the purity of heart, the
meekness, the humility, the heavenly mindedness,
the fervent piety, which should adorn the example
of the flock? Such questions impress him with a
sense of something more than " weakness;" and
lead him to " fear and tremble," lest, by his con-
duct, he should injure rather than assist the holy
cause of which he is the advocate.

The account which I have given of the weak-
ness of a Christian Minister is indeed very humi-
liating : yet there is a point of view in which the
contemplation even of this weakness may serve at
the same time to encourage man and to glorify
God. When the Lord had said to St. Paul,
" My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength
is made perfect in weakness," the Apostle at
once founded this conclusion upon the review of
his infirmities ; " Most gladly, therefore, will I
rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of
Christ may rest upon me ; for, when I am weak,
then am I strong." And the same language
may every Christian Pastor humbly adopt. His
'* strength is indeed perfect weakness," but he
may be strong in Christ Jesus. Christ has pro-

OF THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 13

mised to be with bis Ministers " always, even
unto tbe end of the world.5' Encouraged by this
gracious declaration, I would trust that the word
spoken in great "weakness, and in fear, and in
much trembling," may yet be made effectual, by
the power of Christ, to " pull down the strong
holds of sin and satan."

I have now briefly stated the causes which
ought to produce, in every Christian Minister, a
sense of weakness and an impression of fear. It
will not, I trust, be thought foreign to my subject,
to apply what has been said of the duties of the
Minister to the practice of his Hearers.

If he, then, is impressed with awe, from a sense
of the worth of their souls, ought not they also to
consider their inestimable value ? Ought they not
to reflect seriously upon the importance of their
eternal happiness ; and to weigh all that relates
to their salvation with attention, with impartiality,
and with a wish rather to profit by what is said
than to criticise the mode of saying it ? If, again,
the glory of Christ fill the Minister with a con-
sciousness of utter inability to sustain the cha-
racter of His steward or ambassador ; should not
the majesty and power of the Master induce you
to respect His words, and the doctrines drawn from
them, though conveyed by the medium of a feeble

14 IMPORTANCE AND DIFFICULTIES

and unprofitable servant? If, also, the strict account
he will be required to give of his ministry, induce
him to labour that he may discharge it faithfully ;
shall not the sincerity of his intention, and the
awfulness of his responsibility, excuse the freedom
of his admonitions ? And is it not of moment to
consider, that it is not he alone who shall render
an account of his conduct ; and that if the preacher
be responsible for his preaching, the hearer must,
in an equal degree, be responsible for his hear-
ing?— Again ; if the minister is in danger of sink-
ing under the impression of his own weakness and
incapacity, is it not the duty of the congrega-
tion to interpret both his words and actions with
candour and charitable allowance? Ought they
not to reflect, that a weak and unworthy messenger
may faithfully and honestly convey a most im-
portant message ? Ought they not to weigh
impartially, and without prejudice, the doctrines
which derive their sole authority from God's writ-
ten word, although delivered by one neither pos-
sessed of any authority in his own person, nor in-
deed ambitious of it? Ought they not to afford him
encouragement, not only by a patient hearing of
his counsel, but by that best and most animating re-
ward — a ready compliance with it in their practice?
Finally, my brethren, let me entreat of you,
that which indeed might have been added to

OF THE CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 15

your duties, to join with rae in earnest prayer to
God, that He who " giveth eyes to the blind and
feet to the lame," may preserve me from faltering
or fainting in my Christian course ; that He, who
ordaineth strength of praise even out of the
mouth of babes, may enlighten me by his hea-
venly wisdom, encourage me by his strength, and
sanctify me for his service by the inspiration of
his Holy Spirit ; that he may look down with
mercy on my weak and defective services, and so
bless the seed of the word sown among you, that
it may bring forth a fruitful harvest of righteous-
ness and true holiness ; and that thus we may
together render up a clear and acceptable account
to the great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls,
Jesus Christ : to whom, with the Father and the
Holy Ghost, &c. &c.

16

SERMON II.

ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

MARK Xvi. 15.

And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
and preach the Gospel to every creature.

oUCH was the commission given by Christ to
his Apostles, and, virtually, to all who should
succeed them. They were to preach the Gospel
to all the world ; and it was declared, that " he
that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved ;
but he that believeth not, shall be damned." —
How momentous was the trust thus reposed
in them ! They were to be the ministers of
eternal life, or of eternal death. With what
earnestness were they bound to impress their
important message upon the consciences of their
hearers !

Cut zvhat is it to preach the Gospel? This
is a momentous question, both to preachers and

ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL. 17

he'arers. The Gospel is stated by St. Paul to
be the power of God unto salvation unto all who
receive it; that is, a dispensation in which the
power of God is exerted for the salvation of men.
The object of it is the recovery of man from that
state of guilt and misery into which he sunk by the
fall, and his restoration to the Divine favour and
eternal happiness. The means by which this great
end is accomplished are made known by the Go-
spel : Christ, by his death, takes away the guilt
of man, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies the heart.
Faith is required on the part of man ; and this
faith is employed by these Divine Agents as their
instrument in effecting their own gracious designs.
Hence the Gospel itself is said to be the means of
salvation.

There are, therefore, several essential points
in which the Gospel may be said to consist; and
these I shall endeavour clearly, though briefly, to
explain. They respect the state of man by nature;
his state as renewed by Divine Grace; and the means
by which this renovation of the soul is produced.

The whole economy of the Gospel evidently sup-
poses man to be in a state of sin and guilt, under
the just displeasure of God, and incapable of extri-
cating himself by the exertion of his own powers :
and it implies that no other means have been
provided by God for the salvation of man ;

vol. i. c

18 ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

every law of God being too pure and holy to be
sufficiently kept by human weakness. — Man being
in this state of ruin, we are informed by Revelation,
that it hath pleased God, in great compassion, to
appoint a Saviour. He hath sent his own beloved
Son to take upon him our nature, and to make
atonement for our sins. He hath likewise sent
his blessed Spirit to testify of this Saviour, and
to communicate the benefits of his salvation to the
souls of men. Through this Saviour, men are to
be restored to the Divine favour, and hereafter to
be made partakers of the kingdom of heaven. In
the mean time, through the influence of the Holy
Spirit, they are to be prepared for this heavenly
state by the renewal of their souls in holiness,
by the mortification of the body of sin, by their
growth in grace, and their conformity to the
Divine image.

Such is the general outline of the Gospel. To
" preach the Gospel," is to make known these
truths to men : it is both to declare them in a full
and perfect manner, and to enforce and apply
them in all their bearings to the consciences of
the hearers.

From this brief statement we may form some
general judgment on the subject; but, in order to
give it additional clearness, I shall proceed to shew
what it is not to preach the GospeL

ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL. 19

We do not " preach the Gospel," if we repre-
sent man as in a state different from that which
the Gospel supposes. If we do not describe him
as fallen and corrupt ; if we do not speak of him
as yielding to the power of sin, and therefore ob-
noxious to the just displeasure of a holy God;
we give a false view of the subject, — such a
view, indeed, as wholly supersedes the grace of
the Gospel.

Again : If, allowing the corrupt state of the hu-
man race, we assert that there is sufficient power in
man to restore himself by his own exertions, with-
out referring him to the grace and power of God,
we do not " preach the Gospel." This is to render
the sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit un-
necessary. The philosophers of old did not
"preach the Gospel;" for they pointed out no
other means of reclaiming man than the wisdom
of his own reasonings, and the energy of his own
exertions.

Further : If we so exalt the merit of any righ-
teous acts which man can perform, as to suppose
them sufficient to counterbalance his trangres-
sions, and to render him acceptable in the sight of
God> we do not "preach the Gospel;" for thus
also we make the Cross of Christ of none effect.
This was the error of the Jews : they had a zeal
for God, but not according to knowledge; for being

c 2

20 ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

" ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about
to establish their own righteousness, they did not
submit to the righteousness of God."

Again : If we represent Christ as only an exam-
ple to mankind, and not as making atonement by
his blood for sin ; as being a mere man, and not
as the " only begotten Son of God," who came
down from heaven to become our Redeemer; we
do not " preach the Gospel." For " great is the
mystery of godliness" — that is, of the Gospel —
" God was manifest in the flesh, seen of angels,
received up into glory."

In like manner, if we do not insist that the great
end of Christ's coming in the flesh was to purchase
to himself a holy people who should be zealous of
good works, to enable them to escape the corrup-
tions of the world, and make them partakers of
a Divine nature, we do not " preach the Gospel ;"
for we overlook the very design of Christ in
coming upon earth.

In a word, if we represent man as in no need
of a Saviour, or if we ascribe to him the abi-
lity to deliver himself ; if we leave Christ out of
our view, or substitute any thing in the place of
his meritorious death, perfect righteousness, and
prevailing intercession ; or if we do not insist on
the necessity of the sanctifying influence of the Spi-
rit ; we evidently do not preach the Gospel : we do

ON PREAQHTNG THE GOSPEL. 21

not glorify Christ, or exalt his Spirit as we ought :
we give false views of the state of man, and there-
fore fail in rightly preparing him for eternity.

In the several cases I have mentioned, the
Gospel may be justly said not to be preached at all ;
because either some doctrine opposed to it is in-
troduced, or some essential part is omitted.

But the Gospel may also be preached imper-
fectly, and may thus fail, in a considerable de-
gree, of fulfilling the great ends for which it
■was designed. — This is the case when the several
points already stated, as characterising the Go-
spel, are not exhibited in their proper and full
proportions : when either a clear view of the
whole is not given, or a distorted image of it is
presented ; when one part is unduly magnified,
and its connection with the rest is not distinctly
shewn ; when the outline is not properly filled up;
when the points, more peculiarly applicable to the
circumstances of the hearer, are not brought for-
ward ; or when a close and direct application to
the conscience is omitted.

We have hitherto described the mere outline
of the Gospel, an outline which it requires much
knowledge and wisdom to fill up. Some further
detail, therefore, is necessary.

The Gospel in itself is plain and simple : it pro-
fesses to be so. It was intended for the poor and

#&>'

122 ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

unlearned ; and therefore, if not plain, must be use-
less. It was given by God, in all whose works
a noble simplicity bespeaks the perfection of the
Creator. It was delivered by Christ and his
Apostles, who professed to come, " not with ex-
cellency of speech," or worldly wisdom, but with
plainness ; and indeed they were the very models
of simplicity in all their discourses. However
high may be the subjects, they are so simplified
by the strong and artless representations of the
inspired writers, that " he who runs may read."
Moreover, the Holy Spirit is promised, to en-
lighten the ignorant. In short, so intelligible has
the Gospel been rendered, that nothing is required
but a humble and teachable spirit, a diligent at-
tention to the Sacred Oracles, and earnest prayer
to the Giver of ail wisdom for his illumination.

But though the truth is thus sufficiently manifest
jo those who are duly prepared to receive it,
there is in men an unhappy blindness of mind,
a perverseness of judgment, a corruption of heart,
and a regard to worldly interest, which render him
incapable of discerning spiritual objects in their
true form and just dimensions, and according to
their real beauty. Hence it is that even the pro-
fessed Ministers of the Truth, with the same do-
cuments in their hands, with the same words
of our Lord, and the same writings of the Apo-

ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL. 23

sties before them, have often differed so mate-
rially from each other in the character of their
discourses, that plain and illiterate men have been
greatly perplexed, and have been at a loss to know
what was the Gospel.

Some preachers, for instance, have dwelt almost
entirely upon the evidences in favour of Revelation.
This is, unquestionably, to give a very imperfect
view of the Gospel ; for, however important it
may be to establish these evidences in their full
force, this cannot be considered as constituting
the whole, or even the chief part, of the message
of the Christian Minister.

Others have been copious in describing the
duties of man, and the obligations of morality.;
while they have very feebly urged, anc^ very
sparingly explained, those doctrines which con-
stitute the only foundation of Christian practice;
while they have left too much out of sight that
Saviour by whose blood alone we can be cleansed
from our iniquities.

Others, sensible of this error, have fallen into
an opposite extreme. On points of doctrine they
have sufficiently dwelt ; but of Christian practice
they have spoken only in general terms, and
without adequate explanation.

Others have failed through want of a pointed
application of the truths they have delivered. They

24 OS PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

may have stated the grand doctrines of Scripture,
but not in a way to interest their hearers, They
have propounded them as speculative points; as
if a cold and heartless knowledge of the truth
could be effectual for salvation. The animated
appeal to the feelings, the close application to
the conscience, the tender address, as of a father
to his children over whom he tenderly watches,
have been wanting ; and thus their preaching has
been unfruitful.

Another error has been that of not sufficiently
filling up the outline. It is the business of the
preacher to bring general truths to bear upon
individual cases. It is not the constant repetition
of the same form, even of sound words, which can
be styled a complete delivery of the truth. The
truth must be distributed into particulars ; it must
be amplified; it must be variously elucidated; it
must be brought home to the consciences of the
hearers, to their lives, to their several trials, to
their peculiar circumstances; so that they may
clearly and fully understand it. The preacher of
the Gospel is to be as the " householder, who,
brings things new and old out of his treasury :"
he is " rightly to divide the word of God :" he
is " to give to each a portion in his season."

The grand and distinguishing doctrines of the
Gospel are plain and easy ; but they are also most

ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL. 25

comprehensive. Their truth may be readily ac-
knowledged by all ; but to detail and apply them
fully, is the labour of a whole life. It is easy,
for example, to admit that we are sinners; and
undoubtedly the sinfulness of our nature forms
a very important doctrine of the Gospel ; but of
how small importance is the mere loose and ge-
neral acknowledgment of this truth ! It must be
explained. The workings of sin, in its diversified
forms, must be pointed out. The numerous lusts
of the flesh and spirit which lurk in the hu-
man heart, must be stripped of their disguise.
The love of ease and of pleasure must be exposed.
Pride, whether assuming the character of self-con-
ceit, of boasting, of vanity, or the desire of praise,
must be exhibited to view. Covetousness, with
its several indications ; worldly ambition, in its
various shapes ; the spirit of impatience, of envy,
of resentment, in their secret operations : —
all these must be developed, in order that we
may truly display the nature and extent of that
corruption from which it is the design of the
Gospel to set us free. And, without doubt, he
who thus exposes sin to view gives also the best
proof of the necessity of a Divine Influence on
the soul, and is preaching the Gospel as truly
and effectually as if he were directly proclaiming
jhe " glad tidings" of forgiveness in Christ Jesus,

26 ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

In like manner, he who largely explains the holy
tempers which adorn the character of the renewed
man ; he who describes the fruits of the Holy
Spirit, " love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentle-
ness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance ;"
may surely be said to preach the Gospel, pro-
vided he neglect not to add a clear and full
exhibition of all the other parts of true religion.
It is owing to a narrow and imperfect view of the
Gospel, that we confine that name to the doctrine
of faith in Jesus Christ ; we ought to include in
it all those other doctrines which were equally
taught by Christ and his Apostles.

It appears to have been the practice of our
blessed Lord and his Apostles, to turn their
peculiar attention to the prevailing faults of those
whom they addressed : these they forcibly and
directly attacked. Our Lord saw that the Pha-
risees, for example, were the chief opposers of
spiritual religion : he therefore constantly re-
proved them, and exposed their hypocrisy to the
people. He perceived that false interpretations
were put upon the Law of Moses : he there-
fore gave a full and explicit view of its purity in
the Sermon on the Mount. He " marked how
the people chose out the chief rooms at a feast :"'
and hence he took occasion to rebuke pride, and
to inculcate humility. He observed the Apostles

ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL. 27

to be worldly and ambitious : he therefore fre-
quently commended to them heavenly-mindedness,
and deadness to the things of this world.

A great part, also, of the Epistles was directed
against existing errors and vices. A Corinthian
is guilty of incest, or disorderly practices prevail
in the administration of the Lord's Supper : these
require and receive the correction of the Apostle.
It is this particularity of detail in the Epistles
which renders them so instructive and interest-
ing. It is thus that Scripture becomes " pro-
fitable, not only for doctrine," but " for reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto all good works." The Apostle,
actuated by these views, commanded Timothy
not only to preach the word, but to " reprove,
rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering ;" knowing
that " the time would come when men would
not endure sound doctrine, but, after their own
lusts, should heap to themselves teachers, having
itching ears." He was to watch against the rising
evil, and thus " do the work of an evangelist," and
" make full proof of his ministry."

The Gospel, it is to be observed, was intended
not only to convert men, but to build them up
in the faith, the love, and the obedience of Christ.
Hence we find some difference in the strain of the

£8 ON PltEACIIING THE GOSPEL.

apostolic preaching, at different times and to
different persons. When addressing those who
were unacquainted with the truth as it is in Jesus,
they declare it to them with all fidelity and plain-
ness. Afterwards, the same Apostles urge, upon
the same people, new exhortations, more particu-
larly suited to their actual condition. They " ked
them no longer with milk," as infants, but with
" strong meat." If an Apostle finds, at a suc-
ceeding period, that they abused the Gospel of
grace to purposes of licentiousness, we hear him
sharply reproving them, and saying that " faith
without works is dead," and that a man cannot be
" justified by faith, if it be ajone."

By this accommodation of the instructions of
the teacher to the circumstances of the hearers,
an admirable pattern is afforded of the manner in
which we ought to teach others ; for, doubtless,
the Apostles as much fulfilled the high commis-
sion they received from Christ, when they reproved
sin, unmasked hypocrisy, and rectified mistakes,
as when they first delivered the simple doctrine
of Christ dying for sinners, and exhorted men to
be reconciled to God.

We must guard, then, against an imperfect or
partial representation of the truth. Christ, indeed,
must always be held up to view as the great Agent
in our salvation. lie must be described as the

ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL. 29

Spring of all obedience ; the Sun of the system,
whose influence will pervade every part; the Centre,
in which all the rays must meet. But yet the
very perfection of preaching consists in filling
up this extensive circle, in delivering the whole
counsel of God, and in giving to each part a degree
of attention that shall be exactly proportioned
to its rank and importance. Of the relative im-
portance and rank of these parts a perfect scale is
afforded by the Scriptures.

These observations may suggest several useful
inferences, with which I shall conclude.

They may, in the first place, serve to correct
the error of those who would confine the preach-
ing of the Gospel to that particular class of doc-
trines which relates to the forgiveness of sins by
Christ Jesus. — These doctrines, indeed, are the
prominent part of the Gospel ; but they are not
the whole of it. The office of the Christian
Minister is much more arduous and extensive
than this opinion would imply. It requires a deep
knowledge of the heart, with all its movements ;
and a careful attention also to the state of the hear-
ers. In some congregations, the exposition of doc-
trinal truths is chiefly wanted ; in others, that of
the practical parts of religion is more immediately
required ; and the preacher must adapt him-
self to both. To preach the Gospel doctrinally,

30 ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

and to preach it practically, may perhaps ap-
pear to superficial judges to be two distinct and
even contradictory strains of preaching. Such,
however, was the case in respect to St. Paul and
St. James. Both preached the Gospel with wis-
dom and ability ; both were inspired by the same
Spirit: yet to many the one has doubtless ap-
peared to hold a language inconsistent with that
of the other. Cool reflection and attention to
circumstances, will serve in this, as in many
other instances, to reconcile the apparent contra-
diction.

We may further learn from these observations
the necessity of caution in deciding what it is to
preach the Gospel. — There are many sources of
mistake on this point. Wise, and learned, and
good men, have often differed, and even on some
questions of importance. Let us not be rash or
confident in our judgment. Who has not had occa-
sion to retract errors into which he has fallen ? I
frankly own that I have varied in my sentiments
on some points where I formerly thought that
I had truth clearly on my side. I trust that
the doctrines I now deliver are those which are
clearly contained in the holy Scriptures. I can
truly say, they have been adopted after a careful
perusal of the Sacred Writings, after much ob-
servation of the state of mankind, and much
serious reflection. But I would not be confident

ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL. 31

that I shall never see reason to alter my judg-
ment in some particulars; though not, I trust,
upon any material point. It certainly is my
earnest and daily prayer to God, that where I
am wrong I may be set right ; and that I may
both clearly perceive, and faithfully preach, the
whole truth as it is in Jesus. And this also I
may affirm as before God, that I neither deliver
any doctrine without a full conviction of its truth,
nor keep back any from regard to man. Still I
every day see more strongly the necessity of
guarding against that spirit which decides upon
great points hastily and dogmatically, and with-
out candour or reflection. It is natural for men
to form rash judgments. How striking were the
instances of this even in the days of the Apostles !
Could there be any doubt, while they were yet
alive, as to what was the truth, or who were
the preachers of it ? Yet even in their congre-
gations, and among the persons awakened by
them, false teachers arose, who pretended that
they knew the truth better than the Apostles
themselves ; and, strange to say, they were be-
lieved and followed ! " Lord, what is man !"'
How blind and rash; how soon carried away by
prejudice, or betrayed by a hasty judgment ! Let
us, my brethren, learn caution and humility.
We may infer, also, from what has been said,

32 ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL.

that nothing new is to be expected in the preach-
ing of the Gospel. What is new must, on that
very account, be false. Yet many persons seem
anxious to discover something which was never
heard of before ; something which is to operate as
a charm in effecting their salvation. All that
can be delivered by the ablest men has been
already revealed in the holy Scriptures ; and there
truths will be found to be clear in proportion to
their importance. Let none of us, then, neglect
the treasure vie already possess, in order to go in
search of something new. Let us take the Bible
into our hands, allowing to it its just weight and
authority, and it will not fail plainly to make
known to us the whole counsel of God.

The desire of novelty often leads to fatal con-
sequences. Many are ever seeking, but never find
the truth. Many love to repeat some favourite
expression, or to dwell on some favourite topic, to
the neglect of more important points. Many cherish
a fond regard to doctrines, without attending to
practice ; while some make use even of religion
itself to stifle the remonstrances of conscience.
Hence, too, come dissensions in the church.
One says, " I am of Paul ; another, I amDf A pol-
ios-," and thus, as the Apostle tells us, they " prove
themselves yet carnal." It has been the policy of
Satan to undermine the church rather than to

ON PREACHING THE GOSPEL. 33

attack it openly. An avowed denial of any truth
would alarm the mind ; but the exaltation of one
part of the Gospel, to the disparagement of the
rest, is not so soon perceived to be equally pro-
ductive of danger.

Lastly ; Let us ever remember, that it is the
practical application of old and well-known truths
to the conscience which is chiefly wanted, and
from which Satan would divert our attention.
What does the mere speculative belief of any truth
avail, if it be not brought into effect ? You be-
lieve, for instance, the sinfulness of your nature :
— then, mark it well ; trace it through all its wind-
ings ; cherish tenderness of conscience ; confess
your sins before God ; be deeply humbled for
them ; strive against them, in the name of Jesus
Christ. Thus you will walk in the right way.
The hour is at hand, when empty words will not
be allowed as a substitute for holy deeds. Wc
may build upon the true Foundation, wood, or
hay, or stubble; but that day will try every man's
work of what sort it is. God grant that we may
then be found to have received the truth in the
love of it ; and to have brought forth its appro-
priate fruits, to the glory of God and the salvation
of our souls. Amen.

vol. r.

34

SERMON III.

THE GLORY OF GOD.

exod. xxxiii. 18.
And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

AT the time when Moses spake these words,
he had just received a remarkable proof of the
favour of God towards him : God had punished
the Israelites for the great sin which they had
committed, in making and worshipping the ido-
latrous calves, at the very moment when he was
delivering the Law in Mount Sinai. On this
account he had destroyed many ; he had threat-
ened to visit their sin upon future generations;
he had separated himself from them, and ordered
his Tabernacle to be pitched without the camp ;
he had refused to go up with them into the land
of Canaan ; he had ordered them to put off their
ornaments, and, in dread suspense, to await his
judgment. In the midst of this indignation,

ON THE GLORY OF GOD. 35

Moses had ventured to prostrate himself before
God, and to become an earnest intercessor in
their behalf : he prayed for them, and prevailed.
At his intercession, God was pleased to promise
that he would not deprive them of his protection,
but continue the visible tokens of his presence
amongst them as before.

Emboldened by such gracious condescension,
and mercy, Moses prefers a farther request
which he had probably long, though in vain,
sought an opportunity of preferring. " And
Moses said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory "
— What ! it may be asked, had not Moses before
this seen the glory of God ? Had he not witnessed
it when God appeared in Horeb, as a fire in
the midst of a bush ? Had he not seen it in the
Pillar of the Cloud, which guided the Israelites
in their passage from Egypt? Had he not seen
it continually resting upon the Tabernacle, and
appearing with awful brightness at its entrance ?
Had he not, in common with all the Israelites,
seen it resting upon Mount Sinai, when the glory
of the Lord covered the mountain, and the moun-
tain appeared to burn with fire? Had he not
seen it, in still greater effulgence, when he was
called up into the mount, and entered within the
cloud and the glory, and remained there forty
days and forty nights conversing with God? — He

d 2

$6 ON THE GLORY OF GOD.

had ; and, therefore, it is plain that Moses meant,
by the glory he desired to see, something far sur-
passing the splendour he had already witnessed ;
something which should be more expressly cha-
racteristic of the God of the universe* He
wished, probably, to see God in his proper form,
under such an appearance as that in which he
manifests himself to the blessed inhabitants of
heaven.

This request of Moses, it may be, was founded
on a misapprehension, both of the nature of the
Divine glory, and of the capacity of man to behold
it. Yet God was pleased graciously to answer it;
at once instructing him in the true nature of the
Divine glory, which is that of his moral attributes ;
and intimating, that, in the present state of man, he
was incapable of beholding the proper glory of the
Divine Essence. " And he said, Thou canst not see
my face ; for there shall no man see me and live."
Yet, that he might in some measure gratify the de-
sires of his faithful servant, he added, " Behold,
there is a place by me; and thou shalt stand upon
a rock ; and it shall come to pass, while my glory
passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the
rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass
by ; and I will take away mine hand, and thou
shalt see my back parts, but my face shall not
be seen:" — i. e. I will give thee such a lowered

ON THE GLORY OF GOD. 37

representation of my glory, as thou mayest be able
to bear; a representation which may be compared
to seeing only the back of a person, instead of
surveying the whole figure.

It is a natural mistake to judge of glory by
the outward appearance. Hence we are apt,
at first sight, when we hear of the glory
of God, to conceive only of some external
glory; something bright and dazzling, like the
radiance of the sun in the firmament. The
glory of God, in this respect, might indeed suffi-
ciently display his infinite superiority to all other
beings. His glory, even in this lower sense,
is represented by St. John as illuminating the
boundless regions of heaven : nor could man any
more endure the splendour with which the Divine
Majesty might clothe himself, than the eye could
endure the brightness of the meridian sun. But
from this lower sense of the word it is necessary
that we should turn our attention to one which
is far more elevated and sublime. Indeed, the
aim of all Scripture is to wean our thoughts from
the objects of sense, from what is material or
external, and to fix them upon things spiritual and
internal.

We rise to a nobler and juster sense of the
term, the glory of Got), when we consider it
4s consisting in the perfection of his attributes.

38 ON THE GLORY OF GOD.

In these his glory pre-eminently consists. Let us
proceed with reverence to contemplate them. —
His attributes are either his natural or his moral
qualities.

I. Consider, first, his natural attributes.

1. God is self-existent. — All other beings are
created, and created by Him. He is the great
Parent of existence. There was a time when other
beings were not ; and there was a period when they
began to be, and to possess life and the various
powers of life. And they then became, not what
they chose to be, but what he made them. Their
powers and faculties also are limited, and capable
of increase. Their knowledge increases, their
perfections advance. But God remains the same;
unchangeable; incapable of increase or progress
in the perfection of his attributes. What he is at
this moment, he always was, when as yet there was
no created being.

2. Reflect next upon his Omnipresence* — He
fills heaven and earth. He is equally in all places.
Other beings reside where he has placed them ;
in heaven, on earth, or in hell. They have their
proper and peculiar sphere of action. He alone
has no place, no sphere, no limitations. His
perception, agency, power, and wisdom are ope-
rating in every part of the universe, with as much

ON THE GLORY OF GOD. 39

perfection as if they were concentrated in a single
spot — as though he were no where present and had
no existence but there exclusively. He pervades
all things, he comprehends all things; yet is per-
vaded by nothing, comprehended by none.

3. Survey his Power. — He is almighty, and can
do every thing. These words are easily used; but
what do they imply ? How inconceivable is that
infinity of power which they attempt to describe !
He can do, instantly and perfectly, all things whicli
are feasible. He can act without agents or instru-
ments. All other beings, animate or inanimate,
are but his instruments to fulfil his will. He speaks,
or wills, and it is done. He said, " Let there be
light, and there was light." No other beings can
create ; they work with the materials which he
bestows. They combine and modify these : but
they cannot create : they cannot form what they
please out of nothing. He needs the help of no
other being : indeed, the strength of all other be-
ings, annexed to his own, would be no addition to
it; for they possess none which they do not derive
from him. His powers alone are underived. He
is the original Fountain of his own perfections.

4. Contemplate, also, the infinity of his Know-
ledge.— All things in heaven or on earth he dis-
tinctly and fully observes and knows. Every truth,
in all its bearings, in all its recesses, in all its ful-

40 ON THE GLORY OF COD.

ness, is perfectly unfolded to his mind. He knows
the smallest things as well as the greatest; sur-
veys and remembers all the actions, and all the
thoughts, of every one of the lowest of his crea-
tures, as well as of the highest. There is nothing
so minute as to be overlooked ; nothing so vast
as not to be comprehended by him without la-
bour or effort. Amidst attention to every ob-
ject in all his boundless dominions, he alone is
never fatigued by the intentness of his observa-
tions, nor distracted by the variety of his know-
ledge. All things are equally naked, equally
plain, equally revealed to him. The most secret
recesses of the most secret mind lie exposed to
his penetrating glance. Nor is his knowledge con-
fined to things past or present. In this it is pre-
eminent, that he also knows every thing future.
All the thoughts and all the actions of all the be-
ings who shall be living millions of ages hence,
are now present to him, with as much certainty
as are the events transacting at this moment..
Yet no confusion disturbs his mind. He is all
mind. It is of the essence of his nature to be
omniscient.

5. Consider further his Wisdom. — He plans and
directs all the events which occur in the universe.
His plans are invariably pursued by all the crea-
tion, devils as well as angels fulfilling his will ; all

ON THE GLORY OF GOD. 41

beings, however unconscious, or however averse,
acting as his instruments, and accomplishing his
purposes. His plans never fail, can never be
frustrated. He alone is never disappointed, never
deceived, never surprised. All the designs of his
adversaries are foreseen, all converted by him to
his own glory.

6. View, lastly, the immeasurable extent of his
Bounty. — By him all things subsist. All crea-
tures in earth and heaven are replenished out of
the storehouse of his beneficence. They all wait
on him for every thing they need, and derive from
him every thing they enjoy. He gives, to all,
exceeding abundantly above what they can ask
or think, or can ever conceive : he gives freely,
neither expecting nor needing a return : yet the
treasures of his bounty are not exhausted ; they
are not even diminished. Millions of generations
yet unborn will equally be dependant upon him
for the supply of their wants, and will equally par-
take of his boundless beneficence. Every arch-
angel is as much a pensioner on his bounty as the
meanest creature. All creatures are but parts of
his family, for which he daily provides, " giving to
each their portion in due season."

And now, when we consider merely these na-
tural perfections of the Deity, how sublime an
idea do they present of the majesty tof his glory !

42 ON THE GLORY OF GOD.

In how many, and in what important particulars
do all creatures differ from him ; their powers from
his powers, their excellency from his excellency,
their glory from his glory ! The distinction be-
tween them is not only great — it is infinite. They
do not even approach to him. Their inferiority
is not that of degree only — it is that of kind. He
is every thing ; they are comparatively nothing :
he possesses every thing ; they possess only what
he pleases to communicate. Things of a like
kind may be compared ; but what comparison
can possibly be instituted between finite and in-
finite, between time and eternity, between matter
and spirit? Were all the myriads of creatures
which now exist by his power, whether angels or
archangels, principalities, thrones, or dominions,
to be weighed in the balance against him, they
would be found lighter than vanity. All their
excellence would be as a drop in the ocean, com-
pared with his excellence and the glory of his
perfections. All that he possesses is original, is
self-existent, is unlimited ; what they possess is
dependant, is finite. Hence we see why all crea-
tures ought to seek exclusively his glory ; and why
he may justly, and without vanity, seek his own.
There is, properly speaking, no glory any where
but in God ; and whatever glory other beings
possess is but an emanation, a spark, derived from

OX THE GLORY OF COD. 43

him, and communicated to them. It is his glory
which is seen and admired in their glory.

II. But the glory of God derived from what
may be termed, by way of distinction, his natural
attributes, is not the highest description of his
glory, or even that in which it properly consists.
A being might be powerful, and wise, and bounti-
ful, without a disposition to direct that power and
bounty necessarily and invariably in a right and
proper channel. It is therefore the disposition to
make a proper use of power, and not power itself,
in which true glory consists. In answer, therefore,
to the request of Moses, that God would shew
him his glory, the Lord replies, " I will make
all my goodness pass before thee, and I will pro-
claim the name of the Lord before thee." And
when in the morning the Lord descended in the
cloud, and stood with him on Mount Sinai, he
proclaimed his name : " And the Lord passed by
before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord
God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and
abundant in goodness and truth ; keeping mercy
for thousands ; forgiving iniquity and transgres-
sion and sin ; and that will by no means clear
the guilty ; visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children, and upon the children's chil-
dren, unto the third and fourth generation." It

44 ON THE GLORY OF GOD.

was the goodness, therefore, and holiness of God
which distinguished his character, which consti-
tuted his peculiar glory, and properly supplied his
name. These, indeed, as much excel the glory
of mere power or wisdom, as mind excels matter.
Let us, then, contemplate these as constituting the
real glory of God.

1. His Goodness. — The goodness of God is
that attribute by which all his other perfections
are directed to the best possible end. It is that
which renders his wisdom, power, and presence,
not only not dangerous, but in a supreme degree
beneficial to the whole creation. Now, the good-
ness of God, like all his other attributes, is in-
finite. No one can comprehend its extent, can
measure its height or fathom its depth : it
" passeth all knowledge." " High as the heavens
are above the earth, so high are his thoughts " of
love and mercy tl above our thoughts, and his
ways above our ways." This is true glory — that
the most powerful of all Beings should be the
most generous ; the most lofty, at the same time
the most merciful ; the most glorious, the most
condescending. No finite creature ever was, or
can be, as long-suffering and merciful as God. It
is the glory of his nature to be exempt from the
elements of those passions which tend to diminish
the exercise of immeasurable love. " God is

ON THE GLORY OF GOD. 45

love;" pure, unvarying love; love in its essence.
No jealousies, nor envy, nor selfishness, nor
rivalship, nor private wants, nor poverty of means,
can ruffle his mind, or limit the full exercise of
his love. But, to understand this subject, we
should be translated to heaven. We must see
God as he is, and know what he deserves and re-
quires from his creatures ; we must understand the
evil of sin, and judge of its tendency in its re-
mote effects, if we would learn how gracious and
long-suffering, how slow to anger and of how
great goodness the Lord is, in passing by the most
aggravated provocations of his creatures. Then,
and then alone, could we be prepared justly to
appreciate the goodness of God. O God of love
and mercy ! so display to our minds thy good-
ness and love, that we may ever admire and
adore thy transcendent glory displayed in them,
and may love thee with all our hearts, and souls,
and strength !

2. But the Holiness of God forms another prin-
cipal feature in his glory : He " will by no means
clear the guilty." — Here, again, we discover a tre-
mendous infinity in his perfections. His justice
and holiness are as infinite as his goodness. His
mercy is not the weak mercy which cannot punish.
He does not threaten, without meaning to execute
his threats. No. His punishments are awful,

46 ON THE GLORY OF GOD.

irremediable, eternal. To this part of our subject
we must approach with trembling. How terrible
is his wrath! It is the wrath of the Almighty!
Here, like the angels who are represented as sing-
ing " Allelujah" while the smoke of the torments
of the condemned ascends, we must adore what
we dare not contemplate, and submit to what we
cannot avert. — Yet, let me suggest, that the holi-
ness of God, however pure, and his justice, how-
ever severe, may be the mere modifications of
goodness — inseparably connected with it, and in-
dispensably necessary to its very existence. For
what is holiness, but the supreme regard to what
is just and right? It is equity in the highest per-
fection. It is the security of the creature, that
the power of the Creator will never be abused,
never misemployed. It is the defence and
the ornament of goodness. It is goodness di-
rected to the purest and best ends; goodness
enlightened by reason and sanctioned by wisdom.
Holiness is therefore the glory even of goodness
itself.

3. But is Justice also a modification of goodness?
Yes, strictly so. It is the pledge of its being
continued to the creation. Justice towards some
is the security of all. Were an indiscriminate
mercy to be shewn to all, sin would prevail, and
soon prostrate the mercy of God, and efface from

ON THE GLORY OF GOD. 47

the universe every trace of his goodness. That
God may continue to be merciful, he must be
just. That the universe may enjoy the most
perfect and lasting happiness, under the mild
effulgence of paternal kindness, it is absolutely
necessary that vice should be eradicated and the
offender be deprived of the power of contami-
nating others. Justice to a few is, in fact, mercy
to all. Nor let it be forgotten, that his mercy and
holiness, thus guarded by his justice, become in
their turn the guards of his justice itself. His
wisdom directs his justice, his mercy guides and
proportions it. In such hands and with such
guards, who will ever arraign his equity, or doubt
the continuance and perfection of his love?

Thus, my brethren, have I ventured, under
the consciousness of that ignorance and infirmity
which must attend all human endeavours upon
such a subject, to direct your attention to the glory
of God. But though the subject is infinite, and
infinitely transcends all human powers, it does
not follow that we ought not to study it, and to
endeavour to familiarize ourselves with it.

In every thing which relates to God, we find
ourselves ever learning, yet never able to come to
a perfect knowledge. And this is, perhaps, the
condition even of angels. Even they may only

43 ON THE GLORY OF GOD.

know in part, and comprehend in part, the glory
of God. Their knowledge of it is perpetually
advancing, their admiration enlarging, their ado-
ration of it becoming more profound. Like them,
we must endeavour to adore what we cannot com-
prehend, and to study what we can only imper-
fectly understand. And we are encouraged by
the example of Moses in this pursuit. The desire
to see the glory of God, though evidently conceived
and expressed under some misconception of its
natnre, was acceptable to God, and rewarded by
the noblest conceivable display of the Divine
Nature. And thus every attempt to know God
better, and to love him more, will be accepted and
rewarded by him. Abraham desired to see the
day of Christ, and " he saw it, and was glad." Let
us, then, pray earnestly that we also may behold
the glory of God. — But where is it to be contem-
plated? I answer, Revelation is intended to display
it. In the Gospel, especially, we see, as in a mirror,
the glory of the Lord. There an exhibition of it
has been presented, such as even to astonish the
angels, and make them stoop from heaven to con-
template it. Would you see the glory of infinite
Mercy and infinite Love transcendently displayed ?
Behold Jesus Christ ; see the Son of God freely
given by the Father to dwell with us, to suffer for us,
and to bring us to glory. In Christ is the Divine

ON THE GLORY OF GOD. 49

glory transcendently displayed. He was the
" brightness of his Father's glory, and the express
image of his person !" He that " hath seen Him,
hath seen the Father." Let us then study to
know the glory of the Gospel. In that we shall
perceive the glory of the Lord ; and as the face of
Moses, when he beheld this glory on the Mount,
was illuminated by it, so we " shall be changed
into the same image, as by the Spirit of the Lord."
The knowledge of God is to be our grand study
through eternity. Here then, in this lower school,
let us begin, as Christians, to learn the lesson
which, as glorified spirits, we shall perfect in the
realms of glory.

VOL. I.

50

SERMON IV.

ON GOOD WORKS.

JAMES ii. 24.

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified ',

and not by faith only.

YET St. Paul (Rom. iii. 28) says, " Therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law." How are these
declarations, apparently so contradictory, to be
reconciled ?

I am far from thinking the pulpit a proper
place for the discussion of religious controversies,
or even for a very critical and minute inquiry
into the true sense of obscure passages of Scrip-
ture : yet, when it is considered that the subject
treated of in the text is one of the most im-
portant in religion; that the supposed contradic-
tion between the two Apostles has served as an
occasion of reproach to infidels, and of doubt to

ON GOOD AVORKS. 51

sincere but unestablished Christians ; and that
the removal of a difficulty in any doctrine, or the
solution of an objection against it, often tends to
give the clearest and most complete views of it ; I
hope I may be permitted to devote the present dis-
course to the subject of the text, and the recon-
ciliation of the language of the two Apostles.

The doctrine of St. Paul, respecting justifica-
tion, can scarcely be mistaken. He largely and
expressly teaches, that " by the deeds of the law
shall no flesh be justified" in the sight of God ;
— that " we are therefore justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus ;" — that we are " saved by grace through
faith," " not of works:" that " to Him who
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteous-
ness ;" — and finally, that " not by works of righ-
teousness which we have done, but according to
his mercy he saved us."

On the contrary, the doctrine of St. James, as
stated in the text, may appear to be, that it is not
by our faith only, but by our works also, that we
are to be justified. " Can faith," he asks, " save
a man ?" " Ye see how that by works a man is
justified, and not by faith only."

In what sense this is to be understood I shall
endeavour to shew ; first premising two obser-

e 2

52 ON GOOt> WORKS.

vations, which may tend to prepare us for
better understanding the meaning of the Apostle
James.

1. In the first place, then, it is to be observed,
that the two Apostles appear to have had dif-
ferent objects in view in their respective declara-
tions concerning justification. St. Paul is treat-
ing on the method by which a sinner may have
his sin forgiven, and become partaker of the
salvation of Christ. This the Apostle asserts to
be " by faith," in opposition to any merit of his
own. He does not, therefore, take any pains to
prove that this faith must be a sincere faith.
This the question did not lead him to consider,
and he properly assumes that the faith, to which
so much is attributed, will be a true faith. The
scope of his argument is, that this favour of be-
ing admitted to partake of the benefits of Christ's
redemption, was not to be considered as a just
reward of any man's merit, but only as the effect
of the free grace and mercy of God. Now, was
this also the intention of St. James ? No — he
had a distinct object in view. His object was to
prove that the faith which saves a man must be
a true and operative faith. The doctrine which
he opposes is, not that a man will be saved by
faith, but that he will be saved by a barren and
useless faith. The persons of whom he is speak-

ON GOOD WORKS. 53

ing, are not those spoken of by St. Paul, who
have not been admitted into the church of Christ,
but those who, though they have been long mem-
bers of the Christian commonwealth, yet, through
an insincere faith, are still living in sin.

2. I observe, secondly, that it is probable the
two Apostles, in treating of this subject, 'use the
several principal terms in the same sense. When
they both use the word " justify," it is not pro-
bable that they should mean two different things.
Besides, they both consider the word saved as
having the same signification with being justified.
Thus St. James says, " Can faith save him ?" And
St. Paul, in the same manner, says in one place,
" By grace ye are saved through faith, not of
works ;" in another, " We reckon a man is justi-
fied by faith without the deeds of the law." The
term works appears also to have the same signifi-
cation with both the Apostles. The works which
St. James means are evidently moral works, for he
has given an instance of them. In like manner,
St. Paul says, in one place, " Not by works of
righteousness which we have done;" and in
another, By the deeds or works of the law we can-
not be saved, because " by the law is the know-
ledge of sin." Now, it is not the ceremonial
but the moral law which chiefly produces the
knowledge of sin ; and it is from the moral law he

54 ON GOOD WORKS.

quotes his examples of guilt, to prove that the
law condemns instead of justifying. I conclude,
therefore, that both the Apostles mean the same
thing by " works," viz. works done in obedience
to the moral law.

If, then, the two Apostles understood the
same thing, by both the terms " justification" and
" works ;" and if one Apostle asserts justification
to be by faith, and the other by works ; the ques-
tion recurs, " Do they not contradict each other?"
I answer : In words they may appear to do so ;
but then this circumstance must be taken into
the account, that an author's meaning is to be
collected rather from the general sense of a pas-
sage, than from a few detached words in it. The
sense of the Apostle James, as collected from the
whole scope of the passage, is not doubtful; and
evidently so far from being contrary to St. Paul's
idea, appears strictly to accord with it. Should
there, therefore, be any detached words which
appear discordant with this sense, these should be
interpreted according to the sense of the whole,
rather than the sense of the whole be changed to
accommodate them.

Permit me, therefore, to offer a brief para-
phrase and comment upon the Apostle's words,
beginning at the 14th verse, in which the subject
is introduced. I would be far from asserting

ON GOOD WORKS. 55

that the interpretation I give, is, in all points,
right ; or that it will in all parts, especially in the
first instance, appear obviously just ; but it is
such as appears to me to accord with the general
scope of the passage, and to be the natural de-
duction from the words, even though there were
no desire to reconcile them with the statement of
another Apostle.

The Apostle, at the beginning of this chapter,
had been reproving the conduct of certain persons
in the church, who despised the poor, and observed
the laws of God in a partial manner. " My
brethren," says he, " hold not the faith of our Lord
Jesus Christ with respect of persons." " If ye
have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are
convinced," or reproved, " by the law as transgres-
sors." For " whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of
all." That is — whoever shall be partial and de-
fective in his obedience, keeping some branches
of the law, but breaking others, he is to be
esteemed a transgressor of the law, although he
may, in some respects, observe it. This is what
introduces the subject ; and the introduction may
be considered as the key to the whole. The
Apostle is, therefore, led to this subject by justly
censuring the partial and defective obedience
of some hard-hearted and proud professors of
Christianity.

56 ON GOOD WORKS.

He then proceeds in the fourteenth verse,
" What doth it profit, my brethren, though a
man say he hath faith and have not works : can
faith save him r" — i. e. Let not any Christian think
his faith sufficient to justify him, without those
works of justice and charity of which I have
spoken. " For what doth it profit if a man say
he hath faith," i. e. in words profess to have faith
in God or in Christ, and " have no works" to
evidence the truth of that profession : can such
a naked, fruitless faith save him?

Much stress is here to be laid on the expression,
" if a man say he hath faith." The question is
not, " What doth it profit if a man hath faith and
have no works ;" though this might have been
truly said, and understood consistently with the
system of the Gospel ; but the Apostle forbears to
employ so strong an expression, and merely asks,
" if a man say he hath faith ;*' — evidently meaning,
that he merely says this, without any foundation
for so saying ; — can such a pretended or false faith
save him ?

Here then we see what it is the Apostle con-
demns. It is the dependance, not upon a true, but
upon a false faith. He then adds, verse fifteenth,
— " If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute
of daily food, and one of you say unto them,
Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled,"
I, e. make profession of good will towards them,

ON COOD WORKS. 57

but, notwithstanding, " ye give them not those
tilings which be needful" for the clothing or
feeding of the body, what doth it profit them
to hear your kind words ? Would it not be a
mere mockery, if your pretended compassion
issued only in fine words and a courteous manner
towards them? Even so faith professed with the
mouth, if it hath not works answerable to that
profession, is dead and fruitless as these words,
" being alone ;" being, that is to say, unaccom-
panied by works to shew its reality. — The illus-
tration which the Apostle here produces of the
folly of pretending to love without deeds to prove
it, clearly develops his idea respecting faith. You
do not condemn the quality of Christian love,
because a pretender to it will suffer his brother
to starve ; but you justly condemn the man,
and deny that he possesses this love. Even so,
when a man V says he has faith," but has
no works to demonstrate it ; you would not
condemn faith, but this pretender to faith, and
reprove him by saying, that " faith without works
is dead."

We now come to the eighteenth verse. " Yea a
man" (an opposer of the Christian faith, as a Jew,
for instance,) " may say" to such an empty pre-
tender to faith, Thou boastest that "thou hast faith,
and I have works ; shew me thy faith" (to which

58 ON GOOD WORKS.

thou pretendest) " without thy works," if thou
art able. For my part, I will prove the supe-
riority of that faith which thou despisest; because
" I will shew thee my faith by my works."

" Thou believest that there is one God. Thou
(in this) dost well ;" but if this faith has no
influence upon thy conduct, what is it more
than " the devils" possess ? " The devils believe"
in the power of God, and their faith has some
influence upon them ; for " they tremble.'*
Can thy pretended faith, which has less in-
fluence on thee than even that of the devils, save
thee ?

Verse 20. " But wilt thou know," he then adds,
" O vain man ! " who makest profession of such a
naked faith, " that faith without works is dead,"
is a mere nullity ? Is it therefore such a faith as
this which will justify thee?

He then comes to the example of Abraham.
" Was not Abraham our father justified," not by
such a lifeless fruitless faith without works as you
possess, but " by" a faith which produced " works"
(for such I take to be the sense of the passage,
though the detached words might not seem to
convey it) when he offered his son Isaac upon
the altar. " Seest thou how faith wrought with
his works," to produce them, " and by works was
faith made perfect r" (i And the Scripture was ful-

ON GOOD WORKS. 59

filled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it
(his faith) was counted to him for righteousness,
and he was called the friend of God!"

The argument respecting Abraham appears
to be this : — God had promised to Abraham a
son ; Abraham stedfastly believed that promise,
though it was most unlikely, according to human
appearance, to be fulfilled. And we are told, in
the Book of Genesis, that God so approved of
this faith, that " he counted it to him for righte-
ousness."— From these words St. Paul infers, that
Abraham was justified by faith; the expression,
having righteousness imputed to him, being equi-
valent to " being justified." And from this use
of the example of Abraham, by St. Paul, against
the Jews, as establishing the power of faith to
justify, the argument had probably grown fa-
miliar with the Church, and might be misinter-
preted by the false professor whom St. James
reproves, as though it authorized his want of
works.

What then is the object of St. James in pro-
ducing this example of Abraham ? Did he wish to
contradict the Old Testament; — to contradict it
also in that part which was used as an important
bulwark of the Christian Church? Did he mean
to assert, in contradiction to Moses, that Abraham
was not justified by faith, but by his works ? If he

60 ON GOOD WORKS. '

did, why quote the very Scripture which makes
against him, and why speak of its being fulfilled,
but upon the supposition that the object of the
Apostle in the preceding verses is what I have
shewn it to be ? There he quotes the example of
Abraham, as a case full in point, to strengthen the
assertion just made, that a faith not productive of
works is useless or dead, and therefore will not
justify. On this supposition the example he pro-
duces is important, and the declaration of Scripture
in harmony with it. It is to this effect : — Abraham
was justified by faith. But consider the character
of his faith. Was it not so powerful and active a
principle, that, under the most trying circum-
stances, he stood ready to sacrifice his child to
God ? Was he, therefore, justified by a fruitless
faith? Or by a faith which produced works?
" Seest thou not how his faith wrought by his
works," constraining him to produce them; and
that thus his faith was completed, was rendered
perfect, by his Avorks ? Thus the Scripture was
fulfilled which said, " Abraham believed in God,
and his faith was imputed to him for righteous-
ness;"— and thus, on account of his faith, so
manifested by works, he was called the friend of
God.

The Apostle then adds, " Ye see then how that
by works a man is justified, and not by faith

ON GOOD WORKS.

61

only." This is the conclusion from the case of
Abraham, and can therefore mean no more than
is warranted by that case. Suppose it to mean,
as the words detached from the context would
seem to mean, that it is not faith by which a
man is justified, but works. In this case, the
example of Abraham, and the quotation from
Genesis, are both foreign to the purpose. In
this case, there could be no occasion to particu-
larize the kind of faith by the adverb only, or
alone. But, on the contrary, suppose the Apo-
stle to have the same object in view throughout;
via. to convince a false professor of the worthless-*
ness of an empty faith ; and that he quotes the
Book of Genesis, which says, that Abraham's
faith saved him, in order to strengthen his ar-
gument, and concludes from it merely what is
necessary to his main object ; then, we shall also
interpret the last verse in conformity with the
general scope of the passage. AVre shall conclude
that the Apostle intends merely to prove, that a
barren faith will not justify ; that a man is justi-
fied by works, ?'. e. by a faith productive of
works, instead of a faith which is without works
or alone.

In like manner must the example of Rahab be
understood. St. Paul asserts her works also to
have been done by faith. And St. James main-

62 ON GOOD WORKS.

tains, that her faith was evidenced or illustrated
by the acts of receiving the messengers and send-
ing them another way.

Thus also, in consistency with the general scope
of the subject, must the remaining verse be un-
derstood— " As the body without the spirit is
dead, so faith without works is dead also." The
expression is equivalent to that which the Apostle
had previously employed with respect to faith.
Faith can no more subsist without works, than the
body can when the spirit is fled ; than the prin-
ciple of Christian love can prevail in the heart
without prompting it to deeds of benevolence and
affection.

Such appears to be the general meaning and
object of this important passage, and such the
harmony between the two Apostles. — I shall con-
clude with a single observation. Whatever be the
difficulties discovered in this passage, one truth it
most obviously teaches, — that faith, to be genuine,
must produce good works. It must be a prin-
ciple from which they spring, as the effect from its
proper cause. Hence, then, we should surely be
led to inquire into the influence which our prin-
ciples have upon our conduct. What effects do
they produce in us ? Wherein are we more ex-
cellent than others who have no faith? What is

ON GOOD WORKS. 63

the benefit of barren and speculative opinions ?
They may be just in themselves ; but so is the
faith of devils; that faith which serves only to
plunge them in deeper perdition. Nor is this
admonition of small importance. Many are more
solicitous to form their creed than to purify the
heart. As if the essence of religion consisted
in correct opinions ; as if their salvation were
suspended exclusively upon a barren belief;
they rest there. For this purpose they read,
they listen to the Minister of the Gospel, they
inquire with eager curiosity into the various
sects in religion; as if some tenet were thus to be
discovered, the reception of which would operate
as a charm, and at once recommend them to
God. — Far, indeed, is this from the true genius
of Christianity. True faith is the cordial recep-
tion of the Gospel of Christ. It is inherent in
the very nature of the Gospel, that whosoever
really believes it will do what is right in the
sight of God. The various objects of a Christian's
faith will each excite its corresponding virtues.
Belief in the holiness of God Mill create a devout
fear. A belief in the love of Christ will produce
a reciprocal love to him. The reception of the Son
of God as our Saviour will lead us to keep his
commandments ; and faith in his atonement will
not only fill our souls with peace, but will lead

64 ON GOOD WORKS.

us to adorn the Gospel, and to exalt that Saviour
who is the Source of all our hope and joy. Such
is the power of faith as a principle of action. It
moulds us into a state of conformity with the whole
will of God. It works by love : it purities the
heart: it teaches us to live to Him who died for
us; to "glorify Christ with our bodies and souls,
which are his."

65

SERMON V.

THE PRAYER OF ST. PAUL FOR THE
EPHESfANS.

ephesians iii. 14 — 19.
For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christy/whom the zvhole family
in heaven and earth is named, that he zvoidd
grant you, according to the riches of his glory,
to be strengthened with might by his Spirit
in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in
your hearts by faith ; that ye, being rooted and
Grounded in love, may be able to comprehend,
with all saints, what is the breadth and length
and depth and height • and to know the love of
Christ, zvhich passeth knowledge, that ye might
be filled with all the fulness of God.

WHEN St. Paul wrote these words he was a
prisoner at Rome, and expected soon to suffer
death. His sufferings and bonds were the conse-
vol. 1. f

66 PRAYER OF ST. PAUL

quences of his preaching the Gospel. Had he
remained a Jew, he might have continued to live
in ease, and to enjoy the respect of the world.
But no painful reflections on account of his suf-
ferings appear to have haunted his mind. On the
contrary, it is remarkable, that in none of his
Epistles do we find higher commendations of the
Gospel, nobler descriptions of its privileges, and
stronger evidence of his "glorying" in it, than
in those which were written during his imprison-
ment at Rome. In the Epistle, for instance, from
which my text is taken, we find one of his most
animated descriptions of the happiness of true
Christians; and then, with his heart enlarged by
the contemplation of that heavenly inheritance
and those Divine blessings of which they were
partakers, he suddenly adverts to his own situation
as a prisoner. With a noble disdain of his per-
sonal sufferings, he exhorts the Ephesians not to
be distressed by them: " I desire," says he, " that
ye faint not at my tribulation for you, which is
your glory." And that they might still further be
strengthened to regard all sufferings whatever as
unworthy to be compared with the glorious privi-
leges of the Gospel, he pours forth -the fervent
aspirations of his soul to God in their behalf, in
the interesting words which I have chosen as
my text.

FOR THE EPHESIANS. 67

u For this cause," says he, " I bow my knees :"
for this cause, — namely, that the disciples might
not " faint" at his or their own " tribulations ;"
that they might take joyfully the spoiling of
their goods ;" that they might rejoice " they were
counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake;" that
they might gladly " suffer the loss of all things
for Christ, and count them but as dung, or dross,
for the excellency of the knowledge of him."

We are all, my brethren, " born to trouble as the
sparks fly upward." If even we do not suffer from
the persecution or oppression of wicked men, stili
we must suffer from other causes : and is not that
man blessed, who possesses a sure resource under
every trial ; who is lifted above it, by an elevation
of soul arising from the contemplation of privi-
leges and happiness in comparison of which all
that mortals can endure here is a mere trifle r Such
a superiority to the trials of life is to be attained
through faith in Christ and the knowledge of his
Gospel. These it was the prayer of the Apostle
that the Ephesians might obtain. — Let us follow
the Apostle in his petitions, and lift up our hearts
to the God of all grace, to impart to ourselves the
blessings which were desired for them.

He thus commences : " I bozo my knees" in
prayer.— -Prayer is the source of the Christians

f 2

68 PRAYER OF ST. PAUL

strength. The dispensation under which he lives
is a system of intercourse between God and man.
Man approaches his God, and spreads before him
his wants, his dangers, and his sufferings : and
God communicates to him, from heaven, mercy,
grace, and strength, as the answer to his prayer
and the fruit of his faith. — Oh ! think not by the
resolutions of your own will, by the mere exer-
tion of natural fortitude, by the force of moral
considerations, or even by the mere speculative
knowledge of the Gospel-system and its power-
ful motives, to endure afflictions as a Christian.
No. The knowledge which is efficacious must
be acquired by frequently " bowing the knees"
in prayer. It must be imparted from above, by
the " Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Be not
satisfied, then, with merely listening to the preach-
ing of the Gospel, and endeavouring to under-
stand its theory; but, by earnest prayer to God,
seek to have its great principles deeply impressed
upon your hearts, and made effectual by the
power of his Spirit.

" I bow my knees," he continues, " unto the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." — The blessed
God has many titles by which he may justly be
addressed : but there is no one which could be
chosen with more propriety in offering up such a

FOR THE EPHESIANS. 69

prayer as this, than that which the Apostle has
employed. The ohject of the prayer is, that the
" Holy Spirit may strengthen us •," that " Christ
may dwell in our hearts by faith ;" and " that we
may know his love." How properly, then, is
God addressed by the title of the " Father of
Jesus Christ!" It is He who, with the Son, sent
the Spirit. He sent the Son to be our Saviour,
and the object of our faith. His love was the
same with that of the Son ; for it was the Father
who planned that wonderful scheme, the redemp-
tion of fallen man by the death of his Son, which
the Son afterwards executed.— And litre, my bre-
thren, allow me to observe, that it is not always
a matter of indifference by what title we address
God in prayer. The title is, in a measure, sig-
nificant of the views with which we regard him.
To regard him merely as a wise, a just, a holy,
an almighty 13eing, as the Governor of the uni-
verse, or as the Judge of man :— this, though a
just, is not the proper Christian view of the Most
High. Taught by Christ, we draw nigh to him in
". the Spirit of adoption, crying, Abba, Father!'*
We approach his throne as children : we feel the
sentiments of filial confidence, of holy boldness,
of grateful affection, of lively hope, and of thank-
ful exultation. We address him as " the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ," and, in that character

70 PRAYER OF ST. PAUL

as our own Father through Christ, who was par-
taker of our flesh ; — as the Father of Christ, and
therefore the Father of love and mercy ; — as the
Father of Christ, and therefore the Author and
Giver of all spiritual blessings in him. What hopes
does not this title express ! May our hearts be
deeply affected by it whenever we " bow our
knees" to God in prayer !

The Apostle, having thus addressed God as
" the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," adds
next this description of God, that " of him the
zvhole family in heaven and earth is named."'1

The Church of Christ below is considered as
" a family." — " A family" is a term which con-
veys every tender and endearing idea. It sup-
poses a society sprung from one common parent,
and united by the strongest bonds, dwelling with
each other in harmony and peace. And such a
society is that of Christians, when they are truly
partakers of the Spirit of the Master they serve.
Of this family there are two branches, Men and
Angels; both sprung from one common Father;
disunited and separated for a time by sin, but now
made one in Jesus Christ; — angels ministering to
the heirs of salvation ; angels waiting to receive
the souls of the faithful, to be incorporated into
their own blessed society. Of him, then, this

FOR THE EPHESIANS. 71

whole "family in heaven and earth is named."
He is become the illustrious Head of both : he
is their common Lord. They derive a common
glory and dignity from the relation which they
bear to him. They look up with a common con-
fidence to the Great Head of the family in earth
and heaven ; and, through him, to that Father who
loves them for his sake. — How do those, my bre-
thren, disparage Christianity, who fail to acknow-
ledge the admirable dispositions it has a ten-
dency to create ! What a spirit of love and good-
will to our fellow-Christians does it instil, by teach-
ing us to regard them as members of the same
" family !" What a dignity does it impart to the
poorest creatures around us, when we regard them
as united to the family of angels above ! And
what a feeling of holy courage and confidence
does it inspire, when we look up to Him who is
the Head of the family, even Jesus Christ, who,
from love to man, took our nature upon him,
and became " bone of our bone, and flesh of our
flesh !"

We now come to the petitions contained in this
prayer. The first petition is, that God would
11 grant them, according to the riches of his glory ,
to be strengthened zvith might by his Spirit in the
inner man."— The Spirit of God is the Source of

72 PRAYER OF ST. PAUL

all strength in the Christian. Man, in himself, is
a feeble creature, yielding to the slightest temp-
tation, falling before the most trifling opposi-
tion, dismayed by the most insignificant dangers.
It is therefore the office of the Holy Spirit to
receive him, when engrafted into the family of
Christ, as his charge ; to enlighten him with know-
ledge ; to open his understanding to the truths of
the Gospel ; to affect his heart by those powerful
motives which it suggests ; to incline him to adopt
those principles which it proposes.

And the Spirit " strengthens us in the inner
??ian." The heart is the seat of pure principles
and holy affections ; and it is the heart which the
Holy Spirit purifies. All external reformation,
while the heart is unaffected, is but hypocrisy or
self-deceit. All appearance of fortitude, either
in resisting temptations or in bearing persecution,
is but a vain shew, unless " the inner man" be
fortified with holy principles, and be strength-
ened with Divine aid. But if " the inner man"
is cleansed, the outward man will be pure, and
will appear to be so. — The Spirit strengthens us
with might more than human : with might suffi-
cient to bear whatever we may be called to suffer
for Christ's sake ; with might to resist temptation,
to overcome our corruptions, to mortify our fleshly
appetites, to u pluck out the right eye, or cut off

FOR THE EPHESIANS. 73

the right hand." With what might were the pri-
mitive Christians endued, when they "took joy-
fully the spoiling of their goods, and were tor-
tured, not accepting deliverance!" With what
might were women, the feebler sex, strengthened,
when they encouraged their children to suffer
death, even in their own presence, rather than
deny Christ! With what might are the disci-
ples of Christ strengthened, when inveterate ha-
bits are resisted, the besetting sin subdued, the
strongest passions of the soul controuled; when
they, who, like the Corinthian converts, were
once " unrighteous, idolaters, fornicators, thieves,
covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners," be-
come sanctified, holy, pure, heavenly-minded,
sober, temperate, full of good-will towards their
fellow-creatures! — Behold, then, my Christian
brethren, your lofty privileges! We do not call
you to " mortify the flesh" by your own unassisted
resolutions; — but we bid you expect aid from
above ; we bid you look to Him, who is the Author
of all strength and grace, to " work in jou both
to will and to do of his good pleasure," that, by
Him, you may escape the corruptions that are in
the world, and be made partakers of a Divine na-
ture.— Nor, my brethren, let the other clause of
the passage I have read to you be forgotten. The
Apostle prays that all this may be done " accord-

74 PRAYER OF ST. PAUL

ing to the riches of the Divine glory." The glo-
rious power of God is displayed, his inscrutable
wisdom magnified, his unsearchable grace ho-
noured, when the sinner is thus endued with Divine
power, and " strengthened with might" by the
operation of his Spirit. O forget not the animat-
ing consideration, that, while you contend for sal-
vation, God himself is interested in your success,
and that his grace will be glorified by it!

The next petition of the Apostle for his disciples
is, that " Christ may dwell in their hearts by
faith." — Christ may be justly said to dwell in the
hearts of his people, either by his Spirit, which he
has given them, or by his doctrine abiding in them.
By virtue of their union to the Spirit, they become
one with Christ and Christ with them. It is not,
however, I apprehend, this union, which the Apo-
stle here makes the subject of his prayer ; for this
has already been requested in the former petition.
I rather understand it of the doctrines of Christ.
Thus our Saviour says, " If ye abide in me, and my
words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and
it shall be done unto you." And in like manner
St. John : " He that abideth in the doctrine of
Christ, he hath both the Son and the Father." Let
us, then, consider the full import of the doctrine
of Christ " dwelling in the heart by faith." It

FOR THE EPHESIANS. 75

supposes a clear and lively apprehension of Christ,
— in his glorious person, his infinite love, his meri-
torious death, his kind offices, — to abide in the
heart, that is, to make a deep impression on the
heart, — to remain fixed there as an object per-
petually present. It supposes the mind to be
deeply penetrated with a sense of his infinite
importance to the soul ; to place a constant de-
pendence upon his merit and promises ; to study
continually his word and commandments; to be
perpetually looking to him for grace and mercy in
every time of need. When Christ thus dwells in
our hearts, as the object of our frequent medita-
tion and our lively faith, his person and his name
will be received by us with entire veneration ;
our obligation to him as a Saviour and Redeemer
will appear to require every sacrifice which he
demands, and every proof of attachment which
can be shewn to him. In our prayers, then, we
should have respect only to his mediation. In
our thanksgivings, his worth and his blessings will
inspire our hearts with gratitude and our tongues
with praise. When oppressed with trouble, we
shall look to Christ for succour, and be comforted.
In combating with our corruptions, it will be from
the intercession and aid of our Saviour that we
shall expect strength, and courage, and constancy.
In sickness, the name of Christ will be health to

76 PRAYER OF ST. PAUL

our souls ; and in the hour of death, his rod and
his staff will comfort us : we shall lean upon him
while we pass through the dark valley of the sha-
dow of death. Where Christ truly " dwells in the
heart by faith," he will never for a long period be
absent from our thoughts. Our hopes will be too
much fixed upon him ; our peace will be too ma-
nifestly derived from him, to permit us long to
remain without meditation upon the power and
grace of Him who is at once our Shepherd, our
Friend, our Lord, our Life, our Light, our Glory,
our Redeemer, our Intercessor, our " all in all."

My brethren, I would then ask, " What think
ye of Christ?" Does he thus dwell in your hearts
by faith? Are you, with an earnestness unfelt on
other subjects, accustomed to meditate upon his
mercies, and to study his word? Not to have
the heart supremely fixed upon him, is not to
know him aright. A right knowledge of him will
discover such infinite obligations to him, will re-
veal in him such perfections and such glory, that
we cannot but consider him as the most glorious
object upon which the contemplation of man
can be fixed. — Suffer me to ask ; Do you, my
friends, know him in this way ? Do your thoughts
dwell upon him with inexpressible delight and
confidence? If not, how can you call yourselves
his disciples? How can you consider yourselves

FOR THE EPHESIANS. 77

as redeemed by no. less a sacrifice than that of his
own precious life, how can you imagine that he is
interceding in your behalf in the courts of Heaven,
while you refuse to give him the chief place in
your hearts and affections ?

The Apostle proceeds next to pray, that the
disciples, " being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend, with all saints, ivhat
is the leng'h, and breadth, and depth, and height
of the love of Christ, zvh'ich passeth knowledge"

The " love of Christ" to his church — that love,
of which many in the world so seldom think, and
which they estimate at so low a value — that love,
the Apostles, while they speak of it, feel themselves
at a loss for words adequately to describe. Hence
St. Paul speaks of it as we speak of infinite space,
the boundaries of which we cannot perceive, and
the extent of which we cannot define. But even
this expression, strong as it is, and vast as is the
idea it conveys of the love which is the subject of
it, does not satisfy the Apostle. He adds, which
" passelh," or surpasseth, "all knowledge." It is
as though he had said : Raise your ideas to the
utmost elevation, extend them to the remotest
bounds ; still they are inadequate : the love of
Christ no mind ever yet fully conceived.

But, you may ask, why should it not be con-

78 PRAYER OF ST. PAUL

ceived ? What is the love which you so labour to
magnify? In what particulars does it differ from
the most exalted human love, or from the still
more pure and generous affection of an angelic
being? I answer — It differs essentially. But in
order to comprehend it aright, it is necessary that
we should form some adequate conception of the
glory of the Son of God, as the object of adoration
to all the hosts of heaven; — that we should under-
stand, in a degree, the perfections of his nature; —
that we should ourselves feel somewhat of that
ardent love to his Father's law, which glowed
within his breast; — that we should also be ac-
tuated, in a degree, by that inexpressible hatred
of all pollution and sin which he felt; — that we
should entertain a just conception of man, and be
sensible how low and worthless a creature, in his
fallen state, he is; — that we should understand;
something of what it would necessarily cost to
redeem the soul, and to expiate Divine Justice.
We should feel a portion, also, of what Jesus
felt in the garden of Gethsemane, when his
sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood. We
should feel something of the breadth of that love
which extended to the covering of such a multi-
tude of sins ; sins of such a complicated dye ;
sips of the memory, the will, the imagination ;
sins of revolt against God, of willing service to

FOR THE EPHESIANS. 79

satan, of hatred of the Almighty ; sins of back-
sliding and treacherv ; sins against the clearest
light and knowledge. We should also enter into
eternity; should survey the duration of that love,
which was from everlasting to everlasting ; should
behold the thrones of glory, and the eternal bliss
to which that love will advance the redeemed.
Oh ! my brethren, how well did the Apostle ex-
claim, it " passeth knowledge!"

And yet this love, as the Apostle tells us, is the
object of the contemplation of " all saints." They
desire, at least, to understand it. The little they
do know of that love inspires them with a " hope
full of immortality," and communicates a peace
which " passeth all understanding." In this love
may we be "rooted and grounded!" May the
knowledge of it not be a mere transient emotion ;
but may we be " rooted and grounded in it;" so
fixed and established in it, that we may derive
from the knowledge of this love, as the tree
from the soil in which it is rooted, a powerful
influence, which will invigorate all our endeavours
in the service of God, and produce in us the
fruits of righteousness, to the praise of his holy
name !

Finally, The effect of our knowledge of the
" breadth, and length, and depth, and height " of

80 PRAYER OF ST. -PAUL

this love will be, as we here learn, that we shall
be "filed with all the fulness of God." The
Apostle prays that our understandings may be
filled with such high and extensive thoughts of
the Divine perfections and glory, as to cover, and
as it were overwhelm, the mind ; that our hearts
may be altogether absorbed by the great work of
salvation ■ by its suitableness to the state of man,
and its sufficiency to satisfy all his wants , that we
may be amazed at the greatness of the Gospel;
and that we may perceive it to be truly worthy of
Him who is infinite in wisdom, in glory, and in
power.

The time will not permit me to make more
than one short reflection on what has been said.
I would propose it in the form of a question : it
is this ; How far does the subject-matter of our
prayers correspond with that of the Apostle ? We
pray for pardon of sin ; for grace to live a sober
and godly life : it is well. But do we pray, also,
that " Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith ;,r
that we may be " grounded and rooted in the
knowledge of his love;" that we may " compre-
hend, with all saints, what is the length, and
breadth, and depth, and height" of it? — There
are many who never consider the acquiring of
a knowledge of the love of Christ as a duty. But,

FOR THE EPHLSIANS. 81

my fellow-Christians, it is indeed the first of
your duties to be sensible of your obligation to a
Redeemer; and methinks it should be the chief end
for which we live. Pray, then, that " Christ may
dwell in your hearts by faith ;" that your heart
may be the temple and throne of your Saviour.
You will soon discover and acknowledge the un-
speakable benefit of his presence. It will enliven
you, it will embolden you, it will comfort you, it
will shield you, it will strengthen you, it will
sanctify you ; for the knowledge of Christ is the
light, the honour, and the glory of the church.
To him, therefore, with the Father and the Holy
Spirit, let us give, as is most justly due, all glory,
honour, majesty, and dominion, henceforth, and
for evermore. Amen.

VOL. I.

82

SERMON VI.

STATE OF THE SAINTS ABOVE CONTRASTED
WITH THEIR FORMER CONDITION BELOW.

(FOR A^L-SAINTS' DAY.)

rev. vii. 9 — 17.
After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude,
which no man could number, of all nations, and
kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood be-
fore the Throne, and before the Lamb, clothed
ivith white robes, and palms in their hands ;
and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation
to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood
round about the throne, and about the elders
and the four beasts, and fell before the throne
on their faces, and worshipped God, saying,
slmen : blessing, and glory, and zvisdom, and
thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and
might, be unto our God for ever and ever :

STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE. 83

Amen. And one of the elders answered, say-
ing unto me, What are these wliicli are arrayed
in zvhite robes ? and whence came they ? And
I said unto him, Sir, thou knozvest. And he
said to me. These are they which came out of
great tribulation, and have washed their robes,
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore are they before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple : and
he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among
them. They shall hunger no more, neither
thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on
them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is
in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and
shall lead them unto living fountains of waters :
and God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes.

ON this day, consecrated to devout meditation
on a future state and a heavenly inheritance —
within these hallowed walls, in which we feebly
attempt to emulate the worship, the feelings, and
the employments of the blessed spirits above; —
on this festival, dedicated to the pious commemo-
ration of the saints who have slept in Christ, and
are now with him in joy and felicity ; let us endea-
vour, my Christian brethren, by the help of God,
to detach our thoughts for a few happy moments

c2

81 STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE.

from the alluring scenes below ; from the tumults,
the anxieties, the troubles, the vicissitudes, the
fears, the follies, the vanities, the corruptions, of
this sinful world ; and fix them, in devout contem-
plation, on that glorious state and that blessed
assembly of which so delightful a picture has been
just presented to us. It is a picture rendered
sacred by the recollection that it describes the
felicity of those beloved friends who were once our
companions and guides upon earth ; who departed
hence in Christian faith and hope ; and to whom
our souls yet cleave in all the union of the ten-
derest affection. It is a picture endeared to us by
the humble hope that it describes the happiness
which we ourselves shall one day enjoy, when our
warfare has been accomplished, our labours finish-
ed, our sorrows ended, and our released spirits
have " entered into the joy of our Lord."

" I beheld," says the Apostle (admitted, for the
consolation of the church, to witness and record
the happiness of the saints in heaven) ; " I beheld,
and lo, a great multitude, which no man could
number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people,
and tongues, stood before the Throne, and before
the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in
their hands." — O what a different scene, what a
different world, separated only by a slight veil
from that which we inhabit, is here exhibited to

STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE. 85

our view ! — a world into which we may enter by
a single step, and in a moment of time ! Here
we see a busy world, eager in vain pursuits, agi-
tated by mere trifles, contending about objects of
no moment, and immersed in things which perish /
with the using. All is noise, and confusion, and
vanity, and sorrow, and evil. But behold another
world, nigh at hand, composed of different beings,
governed by different principles ; where all things
are as substantial, as here they are vain ; where all
things are as momentous, as here they are frivo-
lous ; wliere all things are as great, as here they
are little ; where all things are as durable, as here
they are transitory ; where all things are as fixed,
as here they are mutable! That world has also its
inhabitants — so numerous, that the population of
this world is but as a petty tribe compared to them.
It has its employments ; but they are of the noblest
kind and weightiest import ; and compared with
them, the whole sum of the concerns of this life
is but as a particle of dust. It has its pleasures;
but they are pure and spotless, holy and divine.
There, perfect happiness, and uninterrupted har-
mony, and righteousness and peace, ever prevail.
What a contrast to our present state! — And is
this blessed scene near us ? Is there but, as it
were, a step between ? May we be called into it
in a moment ? With what anxious solicitude, then,

86 STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE.

should we endeavour to realize it ! And how
ardently should we desire to be prepared for an
admission into it !

The number of the blessed inhabitants of heaven
is represented as infinite : " I beheld, and lo,
a great multitude, which no man could number."
And if we consider the infinite power and glory
of Him who created them ; the magnificence and
even profusion displayed in the works of His
hands ; the end and design for which they were
created — namely, to manifest His glory ; we shall
at once feel that their number must be, in the
fullest sense of the word, infinite. Let us reflect,
that to create a million, or a million of millions, of
the brightest and most glorious spirits, is as easy
to the Almighty, as it was to create our first pa-
rents : He has but to will, and it is done. Let us
consider, that he rejoices in the multitude of his
works; that every part of the universe is filled with
being — from the immeasurable system of worlds, to
the atom whose minuteness eludes the keenest sight.
Let us reflect, that heaven is the perfection of his
works, the grand scene of his glory, the immediate
place of his residence. There he is to be known,
and adored, and glorified ; there he is to receive
the homage so justly due to his majesty. And
shall this part of his works alone be scantily
peopled? Shall those realms alone, which he made

STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE. 87

for himself, be without inhabitant? Shall heaven
alone be a blank in the creation? — Our Lord, it is
true, hath said, speaking of the race of man, that
*c narrow is the way which leadeth to life, and
few there be that enter in thereat ; " but this
expression relates solely to the earth we inhabit —
one world amidst, perhaps, an innumerable multi-
tude. It relates also, principally, to the time in
which our Lord lived. Even this world, we trust,
will not ultimately be barren, but produce numerous
and faithful witnesses to the glory of the Redeemer.
He made this earth the scene of his sufferings, and
we may expect it to become the scene of his triumph.
Only allow the Gospel of Christ to prevail, as the
Prophets lead us to hope that in the latter days
it will prevail ; allow the world to continue, as
here is ground to expect it will continue, to a
period of which the infancy has scarcely yet
passed ; and we may well conclude, that even
from this fallen world shall multitudes, as nu-
merous as the drops of the morning dew, crowd
into the realms of light, to ascribe glory, and
praise, and honour, to Him that sitteth on the
throne, and to the Lamb, for ever."

In considering the multitudes, beyond the power
of calculation, which will people the realms of
bliss, we must recollect, that there multitudes
constitute happiness. On the earth, where a diffi-

88 STATE OF SAINTS JVBOVE.

culty of subsistence is often experienced ; where
there exists a constant collision of interests ; where
one stands in the way of another; where jealou-
sies and envyings, anger and revenge, pride and
vanity, agitate and deform the world ; numbers
may tend to diffuse wretchedness, and to multiply
evil. Hence we flee for peace and joy from the
crowded haunts of men, and court the sequestered
habitation and the retired vale. But in heaven,
where there can be no thwarting interests ; where
the wants of one are never supplied at the expense
of another ; where every bosom glows with love,
and every heart beats with desire to promote the
general happiness ; the addition of a fresh indi-
vidual to the innumerable throng diffuses a wider
joy, and heightens the universal ftlicity.

The multitude assembled there is described as
composed of " all nations, and kindreds, and
people, and tongues." — Here, again, we must
beware of forming our judgment from the feelings
and views of this fallen world. There, it will be
no cause of jealousy, or rivalry, or hatred, that
one person received his birth on this, and another
on that, side of a river or sea. A man will not
despise his brother on account of the different
shade of his complexion : he will not seek his
destruction because he spoke in another language,
nor renounce communion with him because he

STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE. 89

praised the same God, with the same spirit of
piety, in a house of a different form. All
these petty distinctions will have either ceased
to exist or will be completely annihilated in the
general spirit of love which will then animate
every mind. One pursuit will occupy every heart ;
each will strive only to glorify God. There will
either be no distinctions, or the distinctions be like
the beautiful variety we see in the works of God,

like flowers enriched with different colours to

delight the eye, or with various perfumes to gra-
tify the smell. Why should distinctions offend, or
variety distrust? It is the dark and selfish pride
of the heart which considers itself as the only •'
standard of right and excellence; and therefore
despises or hates every deviation from itself. Let
the pride be removed, and the distinction would
become a pleasing variety,. instead of a source of
hatred.

Alas, alas ! what petty differences, engendered
by pride, and nursed by the worst passions of the
human breast, here separate, with unchristian ha-
tred, those who are brethren, the children of the
same God, the members of the same church,
taught by the same book, partakers of the same
hope, redeemed by the same Saviour, influenced
by the same Spirit, travelling along the same road
towards the same blessed country ! Oh, Religion !

90 STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE.

our best, our dearest, holiest guide ! is thy sacred
name to be prostituted, is thy divine aim to be
perverted, to sanction discord, to justify hatred,
and to consecrate bigotry ? No ! Religion ac-
knowledges nothing as her own work, but union
and peace. In heaven, her throne, no odious
denominations will parcel out the regenerated
church, no frivolous distinctions be suffered to
break the unity of the members of Christ ; but
people of every nation, and kindred, and tribe,
and tongue, will unite in one worship, will be
animated with one spirit, will be actuated by one
principle — and that the principle of pure and
universal love.

The society of that blessed place is composed of
" angels" and "saints j'1 — of those, that is, who have
never sinned against God ; and those who, having
sinned, have been redeemed by the Cross of Christ,
and have " washed their robes, and made them
white in the blood of the Lamb ;" — of those who
were created, and have continued, in the highest
order of bright and glorious spirits 3 and those
who once were " dead in trespasses and sins,'*
who " walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the
air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience," but who have been " quickened
together with Christ, and raised up together with

STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE. 91

him, and made to sit together," with angels, and
with the Lord of angels, " in heavenly places."
Yet the angels scorn not such society ; they re-
proach not the children of men with their fall :
they refuse not to receive them into their com-
pany. On the contrary, they " rejoice" when any
" sinner repenteth ;" they convey the departed
Lazarus into Abraham's bosom ; they become
" ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation ;"
they worship with them in the same adorations ;
they answer in responsive chorus to their praises.
What a model for the conduct and worship of
the saints below !

The employment of that innumerable company
is represented as that of praise " to God, and
to the Lamb," who redeemed them and bought
them with his blood. — In other parts of the sa-
cred writings, where the employments of heaven
are described, worship and praise are represented
as the chief occupation. We are not, however,
to infer from this, that the exclusive employ-
ment is religious adoration ; for we know that the
angels, beings of a still higher order and more
spiritual nature, are frequently engaged in active
commissions to execute the will of God. What
are the precise occupations of the " spirits of
the just made perfect," we indeed know not ;
nor could we, perhaps, comprehend them. It is

92 STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE.

sufficient for us to rest assured that they are
occupied in that work for which they are best
qualified. It is sufficient for us to know, that,
whatever the employments are which their Creator
and Redeemer assigns to them, they are such as
must tend to produce the greatest happiness, and
to excite new and continual praises to God ; for,
in every description which is given us of the hea-
venly world, it is the voice of incessant praise and
thanksgiving we hear ; it is the overflowing of
thankfulness for a state of exquisite enjoyment ;
it is the universal hurst of gratitude, extending
from one boundary of heaven to the other. The
voice of prayer itself is lost in the exultations of
praise ; the language of complaint is unknown-; the
lamentations of sorrow, and the sighs of grief, are
never heard.

The happiness of that innumerable company
is described in the most glowing colours : — " They
shall hunger no more, nor thirst any more. The
sun shall not light on them" (to scorch them), " nor
any heat" (molest them). " The Lamb, which is
in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and
shall lead them unto living fountains of Mater :
and God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes." — Here we see every source of evil, and
even of inconvenience, removed, and every good
bestowed, by the unrestrained bounty of Heaven.

STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE. 93

Descriptions of this kind must be figurative ; but
the figures are evidently intended to convey to us
the highest possible conception of unqualified
good, and the total absence of all evil.

The remaining part of the description both mani-
fests the nature and the source of the happiness
which they enjoy. They are " before the throne of
God, and serve him day and night in his temple :
and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell
among them." The happiness which they enjoy
is, then, a refined and holy happiness. It is not
the happiness of a Mahometan paradise, but such
as is suited to spiritual beings of the highest
order and most exalted taste. It is a happiness ^
founded upon religion and devotion, upon near
and intimate access to the Lord of life and glory.
And let not this happiness be judged of by those
who, far from having enjoyed pleasure arising
from such a source, have, on the contrary, ex-
perienced from it only pain and restraint. They
know not what religion is, nor are capable of ap-
preciating its nature and excellence. To others,
it will be sufficient to state, that religion is but
another word for happiness. I do not mean
this merely in the sense in which, without guard-
ing them, the words may be understood — viz. that
the effect produced by religion is happiness. I
use the words literally ; and design to state

94 STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE.

that religion itself, the act and exercise of it,
is the purest and highest happiness. — It may
here be necessary to rectify the general definition
of religion. Religion is not merely the worship of
God, or the exercise of obedience : it is the union
of the soul with God ; the conformity of the will
with his will ; the enjoyment of communion with
him ; and the transformation of every faculty of
the soul to his image and likeness. Religion,
here, is but the faint outline of this more sublime
image of its nature; the outward expression of
what it ought to be, and of what it is above.
Now happiness arises from a frame of mind
I harmonizing with the objects which surround us.
When the soul, therefore, is moulded into the
perfect frame of religion in its most exalted
state ; when every affection and every faculty are
put into perfect tune, and all are in unison with
the Divine Source of all good ; there must be
happiness, arising from such a constitution, the
most pure and perfect which a creature can
enjoy. It is the happiness of God himself — of
God, the Source of all happiness. It is a state
of mind in which that necessarily gives pleasure
which gives Him pleasure ; in which there is a par-
ticipation of His feelings ; in which the soul drinks
at the Fountain-Head of all enjoyment; in which
the bliss of the Almighty becomes the bliss of his

STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE. 95

creatures. Thus religion and happiness are con-
vertible terms. They are, in fact, one and the
same thing : and it is not more impossible that
God should be unhappy, than that his devout
servants, dwelling near his throne, and " serving
him day and night in his temple," should taste of
misery.

To what an exalted height of happiness and
glory, my Christian brethren, is then that " in-
numerable company" advanced! With what a
glorious society do they hold communion ! In what
noble employments are they engaged ; of what
refined enjoyments do they partake ! Blessed
spirits ! your lot is fixed ; your happiness is per-
manent and eternal. You will sutler pain or feel
distress no more. Your minds are cleansed from
every taint of sin ; your breasts are the everlast-
ing abode of purity and joy. All around you is
peace. Every thing is concerted, by Almighty
Wisdom and Infinite Goodness, to banish the very
elements of evil ; to dispel the slightest shade of
misery ; to pour around you, in luxuriant profu-
sion— a profusion designating the infinitely varied
power of the Giver — all the richest stores of good.
— How unlike this is our present state! What
a different abode is this world below ! Here,
fear and terror, danger and violence, pain and
suffering, sin and remorse, misery and grief,

96 STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE.

poverty and labour, the curse and the frown of
Justice, have fixed their abode. — But, my brethren
though " these days be evil," give not way to
despair. Let me now present to you this innu-
merable company under a different acpect. Let
me point out to you what was their former, as
well as what is their present, state. Once, these i
were " men of like passions with yourselves;" — '

f "they have come out of great tribulation;" — *
they once sighed and groaned under sufferings
and sorrows as deep and grievous as those by
which any of you are afflicted. Oh! what an »
invaluable and sure source of consolation is it, to

, every pious Christian suffering under the weight
of worldly calamities, to direct his contemplation
to this glorious host above ! Standing before the ■
Throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes, and with palms in their hands, methinks
they say to him, — " We were once as you are; we
were assaulted by the same temptations ; we were
stricken by the same arrows; we drank deep of
the same bitter cup; we combated with the same
enemies; we felt all the sharpness and bitterness
of the Christian warfare. Often were we ready
to faint; often we cried to God in an agony
of grief, on the point of being swallowed up
in despair. We felt all the weakness of our
faith, and trembled under the infirmities of our

STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE. 97

common nature. Faint not therefore in your
course. Behold the " cloud of witnesses" sur-
rounding you. With one voice they bid you " lift
up the hands which hang down, and strengthen
the feeble knees." " Be strong, fear not ; your
God will come : he will come with a recompence,
and save you."

Oil, my brethren in Christ ! my flock whom I
long to present to God " meet for the inheritance
of the saints in light," and prepared to join their •
innumerable company, let me conjure every
weak and every afflicted brother amongst you, to
contemplate these blessed inhabitants of heaven.
How changed are they from what they once
were! Praises incessantly occupy those tongues
which once breathed out only complaints, and
told of fears and apprehensions. Not a complaint
can you make which they have not made : not a
temptation can you describe to which they were
not exposed. All your weakness they felt : all
your trials they endured. Some, like Lazarus,
were afflicted with poverty; some, like Job, were
plunged from the height of prosperity to the
lowest depth of adversity ; some, like David,
were harassed by severe persecutions ; some,
like Lot, were vexed by the unrighteousness of
those around them ; some, like Eli, were cursed
vith unrighteous children ; some, like Peter, were

VOL. i. H

98 STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE.

shut up in prison ; some, like Manasses, felt all
the anguish of remorse ; some, like the Apostles
and the noble army of martyrs, were stoned or
Sawn asunder; — yet, now, their sufferings have \
been long forgotten, or are remembered only to
bless God, who " counted them worthy to suffer
for his Name's sake." One moment spent in)
heaven effaces for ever the afflictions endured upon
earth. Oh ! look to them, then, and indulge the
delightful hope that one day "God may wipe
away all tears from your eyes," and compensate all ]
your sufferings.

For the better confirmation of your faith, let
me, lastly, refer you to the means by which this
wonderful change was accomplished in them:
" They washed their robes, and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb." They bear in their
hands the " palm," as an emblem of victory in
the good fight of faith ; and they are " clothed
with white robes," to denote the purity of their
hearts under the regenerating influence of the
Holy Spirit. — The first point to which our at-
tention is here directed is that " blood of the
Lamb" in which their ''robes have been washed
and made white." This image is designed to
shew, that it was to the efficacy of the death of
Christ they trusted as the atonement for their
sins. Christ was to them the " hope of glory ; "

STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE. 99

that is, they founded all their hope of glory upon
him. Their robes were formerly defiled and
stained by sin ; but they were " washed, they
were cleansed, they were justified, they were glo-
rified" by Christ. He it was who gave them
heaven, and who gave them the preparation for it.
He is the Lord of the world above ; he has the
" keys of death and hell ;" he " openeth, and no
man shutteth ; and he shutteth, and no man
openeth." To him, trusting in his grace and
mercy, they applied, as to the Saviour of mankind ;
and he heard their cry, and was gracious and
merciful unto them. He delivered them out of
the " terrible pit and the mire, and set their feet
upon a rock." Behold then, my brethren, the
secret source of the wonderful change wrought
in them — this grand translation from earth to
heaven, from ruin to glory. The Son of God
came down from heaven " to seek and to save
those that were lost." They heard of his love $
they needed his power; they approached him
in faith ; they received him as their Lord ; — and
he acknowledged them as his disciples, inter-
ceded for them, delivered them out of their dis-
tresses, and raised them to eternal glory. And,
O my brethren ! is his " arm shortened, that it
cannot save ? Is his ear heavy, that it cannot
hear?" Has he intermitted his gracious work?
h 2

100 STATE OF SAINTS ABOVE.

Are there no new trophies of his power to be
suspended in the kingdom of glory ? Yes ! he is
" the same yesterday, to-day, and forever." Ap-
proach him, then, with true faith and fervent
prayer ; " fight the good fight of faith," as they
did, and you also shall receive the palm of vic-
tory. Seek for the sanctifying influence of the
Spirit, and you shall receive the robe of righte-
ousness granted to them.

101

SERMON VII.

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS-GOD
MANIFEST IN THE FLESH.

(PREACHED ON CHRISTMAS-DAY.)

1 tim. iii. 14 — 16.
These things zvrite I unto thee, hoping to come
unto thee shortly ; but, if I tarry long, that thou
mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy-
self in the house of God, zohich is the church
of the living God, the pillar and ground of the
truth. And, without controversy, great is the
mystery of godliness : God zvas manifest in the
flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the
world, received up into glory.

IT is my intention, first, to state what I conceive
to be the true meaning of this passage of Scrip-
ture; and then to endeavour to deduce from it
such practical remarks as may be likely, under

102 THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.

the blessing of God, to prove beneficial to our
souls.

I. I am first, then, to explain the passage.
— And here I must begin by observing, that it is
attended with some difficulties, which have exer-
cised the pens of the most able commentators. It
is not, however, my intention to enter into any
critical disquisition ; as I do not think the pulpit
a fit place for it. A minister should study his
subject in his closet, and then bring the result
of his investigations before his audience. But
as many of them must necessarily receive much
upon his authority, let him remember that he is
strictly answerable to God for the diligence, the
impartiality, and the sacred reverence for truth
with which he has pursued his inquiries. It has
been my endeavour not to be deficient in these
respects.

In order to judge of an author's sense, it is
material to know his style of writing, and his ge-
neral turn of mind ; for, wherever the meaning
of a particular passage is doubtful, it ought to
be interpreted so as may best accord with the
scope of his general writings. Now, in the style
of St. Paul, the following peculiarities are to be
noticed: — 1. He appears to have generally pre-
sent to his view the Jewish dispensation. He often
alludes to it, compares with it the several parts of

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS. 105

the Christian system, and illustrates the one by
the other. The whole Epistle to the Hebrews is
a continued parallel of this kind. — c2. He is apt,
on the occurrence of a particular word, or the
suggestion of a particular idea, suddenly to di-
verge from his general subject, and to follow up,
and perhaps at considerable length to elucidate,
the new topic-^-3. He is accustomed to give
only a rapid sketch of the subject which engages
him, often leaving the detail to be supplied by
the reader's mind. Much that was distinct and
evident to himself is implied, rather than ex-
pressed. Even the strict rules of grammar are oc-
casionally neglected. His mind seems so warmed
by the subject, as to render him indifferent to ex-
actness in his expressions. Hence he is often
sublime in his thoughts, but inaccurate in his
language ; clear in his ideas, but involved in his
narration ; rapid in his transitions, and concise in
his arguments. All these remarks will, I think,
assist us in the elucidation of the passage before
us, to which I will now proceed.

" These things," says he (namely, those re-
lating to the government of the church), " write I
unto thee, hoping to come to thee shortly ; but
if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou
oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God,
which is the church, the pillar of the living
God," (for so, with the learned Heinsicus, would

]04 THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.

I place the words), " and ground" or depository
" of the truth." — When the idea of the church as
the " house of God" arose in the mind of the Apo-
stle, there instantly suggested itself a comparison
of the Christian church with that house or taber-
nacle which under the Old Testament was called
*' the house of God," and particularly with that
house in which God might be said to dwell
during the passage of the Israelites through the
wilderness. Over that tabernacle was a pillar
of cloud, or of fire, which in a signal manner
denoted the presence and residence of the Most
High God ; and within the tabernacle was con-
tained the ark, which was the depository of the
law of God. In this pillar, denoting the resi-
dence of God, and this ark, the depository of
the Law, the Jews might justly exult. And in
like manner, the Apostle goes on to shew, might
Christians exult in their church ; for this was now
become the residence of God, and the sacred
receptacle of truth. There is now the " pillar
of the living God." There is now permanently
deposited the truth ; — the truth, which, though
once borne from place to place in the ark, is now
become stationary in the church. — It may be right
to add, that the ancient fathers of the church con-
sider the words " pillar and ground of truth" as
bearing this reference.

The idea of the visible presence of God, as

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS. 105

denoted by the pillar and cloud, having thus
taken possession of the mind of the Apostle,
he continues, in his usual manner, to dwell upon
it; instituting a comparison or analogy between
the presence of God formerly displayed, and the
presence of Christ as vouchsafed to the Christian
church. In this parallel, however, from the
usual rapidity of his ideas and conciseness of
his manner, he leaves the points of resemblance
to be in part supplied by the reader. Contem-
plating the similarity of the type and the antitype,
he observes, " and great, without controversy, is
the mystery of godliness," or of the Christian
dispensation. The mystery of the appearance of
God in the Pillar and Cloud to the Jews, was
confessedly great : but, says the Apostle, the
mystery of his being manifested in the flesh, is
" without doubt great" also. If, in the wilder-
ness, God was " justified," or his Divine presence
and his truth were vindicated, by miraculous
signs ; so, in the Christian church, Christ was
" justified," or the truth and authority of his
pretensions vindicated by the miraculous opera-
tions of the Spirit. If, in the wilderness, the
Divine presence was beheld by " angels," who,
on Sinai, attended the delivery of the Law, and
who were represented as stooping over the ark,
" desiring to look into" the things shadowed

105 THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.

out by it; thus, in the new dispensation, Christ
was the object of wonder and adoration to angels :
he was seen by a " multitude of the heavenly
host," as he lay at his birth in a manger ; he was
" seen of angels," when he was tempted in the
wilderness; he was " seen of angels," whilst in
agony in the garden of Gethsemane ; he was
" seen of angels," while lying in the sepulchre,
and when he rose from the dead and ascended
into heaven. In the wilderness, God delivered
the Law to the Jews alone; but Christ preached
his Gospel to the Jew and Gentile also. In
the wilderness, only one nation believed in God,
and even they continually gave way to unbelief;
but the Gospel of Christ was preached through-
out the world, and throughout the world was his
name honoured. In the wilderness, the cloud,
the visible symbol of the Divine presence, often
mounted up towards heaven, the seat of the Most
High ; and, in like manner, Christ proved his in-
tercourse with Heaven, by being, in the presence
of many witnesses, " received up into glory."

Such is, I conceive, the general outline of the
meaning of the Apostle. But there is, I am well
aware, a difference between the several manuscripts
of the Greek Testament in respect to the word
" God manifest in the flesh." The larger number
of manuscripts agree with our translation, but

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS. 107

others, of great weight and antiquity, have, instead
of " God," the pronoun " who ;" a word the form
of which in Greek very nearly resembles the form
of the Greek word " God." On the ground, as
well of these various readings, as of some other
considerations, I should not choose to lay much
stress upon the proof which the term " GOD,"
here used, affords of the Divinity of our blessed
Saviour. God forbid that we should attempt to
support truth by arguments which we deem to
be not decisive ! We need no such fallacious aid.
The Divinity of our blessed Lord rests upon many
other passages of Scripture, where no various read-
ing or version has ever been pretended. Indeed,
if even the term GOD be omitted in this place,
the doctrine of the Divinity of Christ is implied ;
for, as Cyril bishop of Alexandria, about four
hundred years after the birth of our Lord, writes,
" If the Word, being God, is said to have put ou
human nature, then it is indeed a great mystery :
but if Christ be a mere man, how can he be said
to have been ' manifested in the flesh?'" " What
would be the ' mystery,' if ' the angels' saw him
abiding with us, being man only ? "

II. But I now pass on, from the explanation of
the text, to state some practical observations
which it naturally suggests. And may that gracious

108 THE GRRAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.

God who " spared not his own Son, but gave him
up for us all," mercifully vouchsafe to us his bless-
ing, without which we shall hear of this " mystery
of godliness" in vain !

Consider then, in the first place, the important
declaration, that " without controversy, great is the
mystery of godliness." — The term " godliness"
means the worshipping and serving God in a
right and acceptable manner ; and therefore, as
Jesus Christ was the Way, the Truth, and the
Life, and no man came to the Father but by Him,
the whole Christian dispensation is here denomi-
nated " godliness" by the Apostle. " Great," then,
" is the mystery" of Christianity. The word " my-
stery," as used in Scripture, does not denote any
thing absolutely unintelligible or incomprehensible,
as it often does in modern language, but something
sacred which had been hid and is made known
only by Divine Revelation. The mystery of
Christianity, here spoken of, consists of the several
particulars which are subsequently specified ; par-
ticulars, indeed, which it would never " have en-
tered into the heart of man to conceive," had not
God revealed them to us by his Spirit; namely,
that the Son of God should become man for our
salvation ; that he should exhibit, in the miracles
he performed, many and incontestable proofs of
his Divine mission ; that he should be seen and

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS. 100

adored by the heavenly hosts while in his state of
humiliation ; that his Gospel should be preached
to the Gentiles, as well as to the Jews ; that
every creature under heaven should be invited
to partake of it; that multitudes, in every nation,
should lay aside their prejudices and superstitions,
and should accept him as their Lord and Saviour ;
and that, when he should have been thus pro-
claimed to the world, he should be openly " re-
ceived up" into the glory of " heaven." These
particulars are indeed most weighty and impor-
tant, and they surely deserve our most serious
consideration. Indisputably " great," then, " is
the mystery of godliness."

Great indeed it is, in every point of view. — Con-
sider, for instance, its object. This is the very
greatest which can employ the attention of the
mind. For what is it but the everlasting salva-
tion of our souls ? The Gospel was devised by
the gracious counsels of God, in order to raise
us from our fallen state of sin and misery, to fit
us for a nobler existence, and then to translate us
into the blessed mansions of glory ; mansions into
which the Son of God himself has entered before,
as our forerunner, that we, being for ever delivered
from evil, may be unspeakably happy with him
through an infinite succession of ages. What ob-
ject can be greater than this, more worthy of the

110 THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.

Divine nature, or more deeply affecting our in-
terests?— My brethren, you all feel daily the infir-
mity of your nature ; you are admonished that you
have here no abiding city ; you see your friends
and acquaintance fall victims to the attacks of
disease and death ; you know that, ere long, you
must yourself lie upon the bed of sickness, your
present frame be dissolved, and your soul either
cease to be, or exist in some new state. Of what
infinite consequence, therefore, is it that this state
should be happy ; that you should be translated
to realms of glory, and be blessed eternally in the
enjoyment of the favour and presence of your
God and Saviour ! God has revealed to you, in
Christianity, the means of obtaining this blessed-
ness. I beseech you, let not this Revelation be
made to you in vain. Such, alas ! is the thought-
lessness, folly, or sin, of many, that they feel no
concern about it ; no solicitude about the means
of securing eternal happiness. They are unmoved
by any object which does not immediately address
their senses, strike their sight, or manifest itself to
their touch. Future blessings, however great, do
not affect them ; future miseries, however dreadful,
do not alarm them. Against this insensibility to
future things, I would earnestly warn you. When
you behold the Divine Author of Creation exhi^
biting such a system of wonderful dispensations

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS. Ill

for your benefit and salvation, is it for you to be
indifferent, to pass them by as if you had no con-
cern in them? If ever God spoke to the feelings
of man, it is in this Revelation. If ever we are
interested in listening to his voice, — a voice not
speaking obscurely, as is often the case when we
are addressed through our natural reason, but
plainly and intelligibly by the declarations of his
own word, — it is when this great mystery is made
known to us. If it is ever sinful and ruinous to
neglect the warning of God, it surely is when so
great a salvation, wrought out for us by the Son
of God himself coming down from heaven, has
been graciously presented to our acceptance. " See,
then, that ye refuse not him that thus speaketh
to us from heaven." The period, my brethren,
is fast approaching when no knowledge but that
of this " great mystery of godliness" can be
interesting to us, and no possession but that of
salvation of any real value. Oh ! let the comme-
moration of the Nativity of our blessed Saviour
bring to your serious recollection the train of ob-
jects connected with it ; and let it be considered
as an event in which you are more deeply inte-
rested than in any other which has occurred in the
annals of time.

Reflect, next, upon the means by which this
great object of the " mystery of godliness" was

112 THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.

accomplished. It was by means of " God " be-
coming " manifest in the flesh." " The Word,"
says St. John, " was made flesh, and dwelt among
us ; " and " in the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
W'hen God brought the Jews out of Egypt into
the promised land of Canaan, he might, doubtless,
have led them, after the ordinary manner, by the
instrumentality of some eminent captain, such as
Joshua. But it pleased Him, whose ways are
unsearchable, and whose judgments are a great
deep, to deviate from the natural course, and be-
come himself their Leader and Commander ; sen-
sibly to display his presence in the midst of them,
and to dwell amongst them in a mode totally un-
precedented and new, as well to the Israelites as
to every other people. There was seen hovering
over the tabernacle the Cloud, the symbol of the
presence of God himself; a mysterious and Divine
emblem, filling with astonishment and gratitude the
mind of every pious Israelite. — Was it merely to
the Jews that such a signal exhibition of the special
intercourse and protection of the Almighty was
vouchsafed ? Was all this celestial interference and
display of glory intended only as a safeguard in con-
ducting a tribe of men from one country to another ?
No : God was giving to the world a grand lesson
of his own agency : he was affording an anticipa-

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS. 113

tion of the manner in which, by his Divine power,
he should conduct, not a tribe or a nation, but a
world ; not from one earthly station to another,
but from earth to heaven ; not in order to satisfy
them with temporal bounties, but to bless them
with the eternal glory of a higher and nobler ex-
istence. If God thought proper to bring the Jews
to Canaan by a miraculous display of his own
energy, with how much reason might we expect
that the eternal salvation of the human race should
not be accomplished but by as remarkable an ex-
hibition of the Divine interference? Hence, to
save man, he sent his only-begotten Son. God
was thus " manifested in the flesh :" he pitched
his tabernacle, " and dwelt among us ; and we
beheld his glory as of the only- begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth."

While we behold this mystery of godliness,
with what sentiments of gratitude, my brethren,
ought we to hail and welcome the illustrious
Saviour sent down from heaven to accomplish
our redemption! The Scripture is full of exhor-
tations to " take heed" that we do not despise
his authority, nor reject his testimony. For
" to him all the Prophets give witness ;" to him
all Revelation points. " There is no other name
under heaven given, whereby we can be saved,
but the name of Jesus Christ." While I contem-

VOL. I. I

1 14 THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.

plate the wonders of this salvation, I own that
I am lost in astonishment ; and scarcely could I
credit the stupendous fact, did I not perceive that
in every age, in every dispensation, the tenor of
Divine Revelation has been uniform ; that the
whole volume, and not merely a single discovery
of the Divine will, attests these amazing truths ;
that the whole book of Revelation must be torn
asunder before these can be disjoined from it ; and
did I not reflect, that the very approach to infinity
in any act of Divine Goodness, in itself renders it
more credible, by rendering it more suitable to
the infinite benignity of the Divine Being. I can-
not reject the Divinity of Christ without discard-
ing, at the same time, the Divine manifestation of
the Shekinah in the wilderness; without dismissing,
indeed, the whole Mosaic dispensation, and the
whole Mosaic record. Having credited the Di-
vine interference in bringing the Israelites from
Egypt to Canaan — the account of which is at-
tested by evidence so strong, that it is scarcely
possible to conceive how it could be stronger —
I become fully prepared to believe that the Divine
interference was also employed in the infinitely
greater work of accomplishing the salvation of
men.

When, therefore, the magnitude of this my-
stery of godliness staggers our reason, let us reflect

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS. 115

that the illustrious Saviour was " justified by the
Spirit."— His character and dignity were ascer-
tained and vindicated by the illustrious display
of miraculous powers. What miracles were not
performed by Jesus ! Take but a single miracle of
the vast profusion ; and, if you admit that one, it
is scarcely possible not to admit them all. Take
the single fact of Christ's resurrection, than which
there probably never was an event more satis*
factorily attested. Believe only this, and all the
other miraculous actions recorded in his life be-
come credible; for, allowing the Divine inter-
ference in this one instance, you must expect it to
have taken place on other occasions, in order to
•live its attestation to the character of Jesus. It
cannot be supposed that the Divine power would
be exerted in order to raise from the dead an im-
postor, or an enthusiast, or even a merely good
man. God Almighty never would act in so ex-
traordinary a manner, except for some great end.
Such an end was the salvation of the human race
by the mission of his only-begotten Son. A greater
object could not be accomplished ; a more noble
Personage could not be the instrument ; a more
grand and luminous display of Divine Power
could not attest the greatness of the end, or the
dignity of the Agent. The end, the Agent, the
testimony,, were in unison with each other.

t 2

I 16 THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.

" Great" indeed was the " mystery of godli-
ness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in
the Spirit."

Let us, my brethren, derive from this part of
the " mystery of godliness" substantial ground on
which to establish our belief in Christ, and, toge-
ther with it, our hope of salvation. We need —
indeed we need, if we know ourselves, or if we
feel how momentous is the issue which is before
us — we need strong evidence upon which we may
confidently venture our souls, and build our hopes
for eternity. In the hour of death we especially
need it. I allow that, in the vigour of health,
amidst the levity of youthful spirits, under the be-
numbing effects of that worldliness which immer-
sion in business is too apt to produce, the idea of
an eternal state may be so faint ; the knowledge of
God, and particularly of his justice and holiness,
may be so obscure ; and the realization of the so-
lemn account to be given at the day of judgment,
may be so imperfect; that even the hope arising
from our own merits, however delusive and waver-
ing, may be sufficient to support us. But things
will wear a different aspect when disease has ab-
stracted us from the surrounding scene, and left
us leisure and coolness of mind to reflect. When
death has knocked at our door, and warned us to
be ready for his return ; when the fascination of

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS. 1 17

the world has subsided, and its spell is broken ;
when better acquaintance with ourselves, and
deeper reflection upon the state of our hearts and
Jives, has brought low our high conceit of our-
selves ; when more accurate meditation upon
Scripture, so full of facts and declarations which
attest the holiness of God and the alarming aw-
fulness of his justice, has bowed our hearts into
a holy fear of his Name, and a serious alarm about
our acceptance with him : then we shall feel our
need of a Redeemer ; then we shall welcome the
account of his salvation as glad tidings of great
joy ; then we shall earnestly seek for such evi-
dence as may calm our troubled mind, and enable
us to rest with tranquil hope in the moment of
death : then, also, will that evidence meet our won-
dering eyes in all the radiance of truth ; and while
we contemplate Christ as justified by the Spirit,
we shall be enabled to say, " Lord, now lettest
thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes
have seen thy salvation." — God grant this may
be the blessed experience of every one here
present?

Christ was " seen of angels." — Those hea-
venly hosts beheld him, while yet an infant, with
pious awe and reverent adoration. A " multitude
of the heavenly host" surrounded the stable
where he lay, singing, " Glory to God in the

118 THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.

highest; and on earth peace, and good will to
men." They beheld glory accruing to God in
the highest heavens, peace and tranquillity reign-
ing upon earth, and reconciliation and good-will
to men diffused by the birth of this illustrious
Stranger. Yet, to them, it was matter of wonder
and praise only ; to us, it is a subject of the
deepest interest. Let us not, my brethren, be
silent, while they adore ; let us not be cold, while
they deeply feel : let us not disregard those things,
which they " stoop down to look into." Oh,
how will heaven and earth testify against the
man who has neglected so great a salvation !
God will testify against him ; for " he spared not
his own Son, but gave" this inexpressible gift to
us, and proclaimed from heaven, " This is my
beloved Son ; hear ye him." Christ will testify
against him ; for he laboured, he suffered, he
died for man, to make him partaker of eternal
salvation. The Holy Spirit will testify against
him ; for he wrought a profusion of miracles in
order to direct the attention to Christ, and to
testify of him as the great Saviour of the world.
The angels will testify against him, who came to
learn upon earth the riches of this grace of God.
Men will testify against him, millions of whom
have received the record of Christ and believed on
him as their Saviour. And the fallen spirits will

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS. 119

testify against him ; for even they obeyed the word
of Christ, and feared his authority. Let not all
these witnesses appear against us, to display to
us the greatness of the neglected salvation, and
to aggravate our condemnation in having dared
to slight so high a Saviour.

Christ was, also, " preached to the Gentiles,
and believed on in the world.'''' — To us he has
been " preached :" God grant that we may
hear him and receive his testimony ! But methinks
I see, flocking from the east and the west, from the
north and the south, many who from the extreme
parts of the earth only heard the distant sound of
salvation ; many from the remote extremity of
Africa ; many from the frozen realms of Green-
land ; many once sunk in the lowest depths of
poverty and misery, now hoping and triumphing
in their Saviour, and pressing with joyful haste to
the courts of Heaven. Behold, also, some of " the
children of the kingdom" shutout; — those who,
through fastidiousness of taste, or sceptical apathy,
or -worldliness and sordidness of mind, have sat
continually under the preaching of the Gospel, and
remained indifferent to its glad tidings ! Thus
shall that Scripture be fulfilled, which I never
reflect upon without shuddering; " The first shall
be last, and the last first." Ob, my brethren ! ye
v/ho enjoy every opportunity of religious improve-

120 THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS.

ment ; ye whose learning qualifies you to read
and understand the Scriptures ; whose leisure and
ease, and whose whole circumstances, afford you
every advantage in the pursuit of sacred know-
ledge ; — O beware, lest you perish amid the abun-
dance of the means of edification ; lest, while Christ
is " preached to the Gentiles, and believed on
in the world," he be proclaimed to you in vain.

Lastly, Christ was " received vp into glory." —
Glory, perpetual glory, was the termination of
all his benevolent labours and sufferings. And
into this glory he entered, in order that his dis-
ciples might have the same splendid mansions
ever before them, as the end of all their toil and
the crown of all their hope : " I go to prepare a
place for you, that, where I am, there ye may
be also." Under the deep impression of the
truths contained in this " great mystery of god-
liness," how should our thoughts soar to the
blessed place where our Saviour is gone before
us, and our affections be " set not on things
below, but on things above, where Christ sitteth
at the right hand of God 1" — My brethren, do you
consider that, after a short time, our labours will
cease, our battle will be fought, our warfare ac-
complished, and that we shall enter into eternal
glory ? What thought can be more animating,
what more consoling, amidst the troubles and

THE GREAT MYSTERY OF GODLINESS. 121

trials of your pilgrimage here ! Only wait on,
stedfast in faith, in love and obedience ; and the
Saviour, who came down from heaven to save you,
will receive you to his own glory. Oh! let us
often turn our eyes from these sickening earthly
scenes of discord, and bloodshed, and woe, to
those regions of glory, where the day shines in
endless lustre : where violence shall no more be
heard in the land, nor wasting and destruction be
found within its borders; where the sun shall be no
more the light by day, nor the moon give light; but
" the Lord shall be an everlasting light, and God
its glory." — Would to God, that this glory were
more frequently the subject of our contemplation!
Then should we look with a holy tranquillity upon
the petty troubles and evils of this transitory scene.
We should bear affliction cheerfully, knowing that
we have an enduring inheritance. We should en-
joy true happiness in this world, reflected through
the radiance of that glorious world above.

But let us remember, that il he who hath this
hope, must purify himself, even as He'' who hath
called us " is pure" — for into these regions of
glory the unholy shall not enter. May " God,
therefore, sanctify you wholly, and establish your
hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even
our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
with all his saints ! "

122

SERMON VIII.

ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.

matt, xxviii. iy.
Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations ; baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

IF the Scriptures merely spoke of the Son of
God and of the Spirit of God as beings whom we
ought to reverence and worship, we should surely
be bound to inquire diligently and devoutly into
the manner in which this reverence ought to be
displayed. But when we are baptized in their
names, this expressive rite and solemn memorial
gives them still larger claims upon our attention.
That we are admitted into the Christian covenant
by a rite which bears a distinct reference to them,
clearly implies the existence of some intimate rela-
tion between them and us. That we are baptized
in their name, in common with that of the Father,

ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. 123

invests them with inconceivable dignity. It cannot
but arrest our regard, even at the very entrance
and porch of Christianity, that the Son and the
Spirit are placed on the same level with the
Father. Should we not deem it strange indeed,
if we were commanded to be baptized, with an
exactly similar form of expression, in the name of
persons infinitely inferior to, and wholly distinct
from, the Father : if the form of baptism, for
instance, were this ; — Baptize them in the name
of the Father, and of the Apostle Paul, and of
the Power and Love of God ? Add to which, the
persons into whose names we are baptized bear a
manifest relation to the Deity as well as to our-
selves : " Baptize them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." In the
name of the Father. Why not in the name of
God? Why should the Divine Being be here
styled the Father? He is so styled, evidently
with respect to the Son, who is named together
with him. — But we are to be baptized also in the
name of the Son. The Son of whom ? Doubt-
less of the Father. — And in the name of the Holy
Spirit. The Spirit of whom ? Evidently of God,
of the Father, and of the Son. The sacred names,
thus introduced, were names already familiar to
the Jews. The Holy Spirit, though not with a
distinctness which enabled the Jews to compre^

124 ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.

hend much of his essence or origin, is often in-
troduced into the Jewish Scriptures ; and every
pious Jew anticipated the coming of the Messiah,
whom they were accustomed to call by the title
of " the Son of God." Our Saviour, also, had
more completely familiarized them with these
terms, and elevated their conceptions of the Divine
Persons to whom they are applied, by his fre»
quent mention of the Son and of the Spirit. Nor
is it superfluous to add, that the doctrine of the
Trinity does not depend on a few passages, where,
as in my text, the Father, the Son, or the Spirit,
are mentioned, as it were, collectively; but upon
a multitude of passages where they are separately
introduced. If, therefore, this, and every pas-
sage which speaks of these Divine Persons col-
lectively, were blotted out, still the doctrine would
be triumphantly established by other passages ;
and is, in fact, interwoven with the very frame of
Scripture. — I acknowledge, however, that there
have been few points of doctrine more warmly
disputed than this. It may therefore, I apprehend,
be useful to endeavour to state the subject clearly,
so as to obviate some misconceptions which prevail
with regard to it, and to pave the way for its more
cordial reception.

The doctrine of what is called " the Trinity/'
concisely stated, is this — that, although there is

ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. I2J

only one God, this God is revealed to man as
subsisting under three distinct Names and Persons
— " the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost" —
who are yet, in a sense to us mysterious and inscru-
table, one God. — Let us more distinctly consider
the several parts of the doctrine thus stated.

I. In the first place, There is but one God. —
This truth is not only universally attested in Scrip-
ture, but is at once acquiesced in, as agreeable to
all our preconceived notions of the Deity. The
difficulty is, not in admitting the Unity of the
Godhead, but in comprehending the distinction of
Persons. But, to whatever extent we maintain
this distinction, it is obvious that it must not be so
held as to be incompatible with the Unity of the
Divine Nature. Those, indeed, who deny the
doctrine of the Trinity, chiefly ground their denial
upon an alleged zeal for the Unity of God ; and,
by the name which they assume, desire evidently
to be considered as the only persons who main-
tain this great truth. But 'it should be under-
stood, that those who hold the doctrine of the
Trinity, do, in the strongest sense, concur with
them in the maintenance of this fundamental
doctrine. They do not consider their own belief
in the Three Divine Persons, as interfering with
the doctrine of the Divine Unity. They maintain,

126* ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.

as a fundamental truth which is to regulate and
modify their belief in a Trinity of Persons, that
there is one only eternal and infinite God. And,
though they pretend not to explain or compre-
hend the consistency of this plurality of Persons
with this Unity of Nature, they nevertheless, in
the most unequivocal manner, admit and affirm
it. It is true that, on this subject, some persons
may have spoken rashly and unwarrantably, in
representing the Three Persons to be so absolutely
distinct as to be in all respects three different
beings. Such representations, however, have not
the countenance of our Church. And, in all our
conceptions and explanations of the doctrine, let
us carefully remember, that the Father, the Son.
and the Holy Spirit, are properly One. Let us
not, with the view of rendering a necessarily
mysterious subject familiar, so interpret it as to
violate a fundamental principle of religion. It is
a mistaken, as well as dishonest policy, to endea-
vour to preserve one part of the temple by the
sacrifice of the rest.

II. But, secondly, Though God is One, yet he
has revealed himself under three different cha-
racters and titles i the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost. — The precise nature of the distinc-
tion here implied is not described in Scripture :

ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. 127

nor, perhaps, is it conceivable by fallen man. It
has, indeed, been agreed to express this distinc-
tion by the term " Person." And this term is
perhaps, as eligible as any other, whilst it is
understood not to convey any real idea of the
nature of this distinction, but merely to affirm that
it exists and is not confined to a distinction of
mere titles or attributes. Such various titles and
attributes are frequent in Scripture. The Divine
Being is introduced under the title of Jehovah
and Elohim. He is described by his various
attributes, as the " Eternal," " Almighty," the
" Father of lights," the " Lord of hosts." But
when the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost
are spoken of in Scripture, it is evident that these
terms imply a distinction of a very different kind
from that conveyed by these titles and attributes.
— In this limited sense, it is, therefore, that we
must here be considered as employing the term
" Person." It does not imply that distinction
of nature or being, when applied to this doctrine,
which is implied in the use of the term on other
occasions.

But it may be asked, What then do we in fact
believe as to the Divine Nature ? I answer, We
believe, that one and the same God is Three in
a sense which we are able neither to express nor
comprehend. — And this brings us to notice a

128 ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.

third point, included in the brief statement of the
doctrine of the Trinity delivered above.

III. The doctrine has been mentioned as
" mysterious,'" and, as to certain points, inscru-
table to the human mind. — It might be antici-
pated, that any Revelation respecting the Divine
nature would, if in any degree minute, involve
many points far beyond our comprehension. For
with what are we familiar which is beyond the
narrow range of our senses ? We are acquainted,
indeed, with some of the properties of animals,
because these fall within the cognizance of
sense ; but when we attempt to speak even of
our own mind, in what difficulties are we at once
involved ? Can we explain the manner in which
the mind acts on the body ; their union in the
same person here ; the distinct existence of the
soul in a future state? Can we form the slightest
conception 6*f the manner in which spiritual
beings exist at all ; — beings who, without eyes,
see ; without ears, hear ; without limbs, move ;
without material organs, communicate their
ideas and feelings? Thus shut out, then, from
an acquaintance even with the lower orders of
spiritual existence, can we wonder if that Divine
nature, to which, perhaps, these orders approach
no nearer than we. to them, is incomprehensible to

ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. 129

us ? Such obscurity, indeed, affords a presumption
in favour of the truth, rather than of the false-
hood, of any Revelation which respects the nature
of God. It is no more probable that we should
comprehend the Divine Nature, than that an
animal of the very lowest order — an animal, for
instance, wanting the organs of sight, and touch,
and hearing, and speech — should comprehend and
delineate the faculties of man. Such, indeed, is
the obscurity in which the Divine Nature is neces-
sarily involved, that it matters little what terms
are employed by us to describe it. Change the
terms, yet the obscurity remains. They would
either have no meaning affixed to them, or be un-
derstood in precisely the same sense with those
employed for the same purpose before. Had the
very terms adopted by us to express the doctrine
of the Trinity been found in Scripture, the
revelation of the doctrine itself would not have
been more distinct or intelligible. Language
could not have made that distinct which we have
no faculties to comprehend.

Still, my brethren, though the doctrine of the
Trinity is mysterious, and above our reason, it is
not contrary to our reason. And this is a most
important distinction. We do not believe or teach
contradictions. We do not affirm that there are
more Gods than one, or that God is One and

VOL. I. K

130 ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.

Three in the same sense. To believe that an^
principle or nature is one, and at the same time
three natures or principles, is contrary to reason.
It cannot be required of the human mind, and
is not required of the believer in the doctrine of
the Trinity.

But are the difficulties of the orthodox creed
still objected to us? I answer, there are diffi-
culties upon every hypothesis which the objector
may choose to adopt. In the attempt to avoid
one class of difficulties, others are created quite
as insurmountable. You may, perhaps, dismiss
them from your theory, but then you transfer them
to your Bibles. If, for instance, the Holy Spirit
is not God, what, we may ask, is he ? Clearly
not an angel. Scripture ascribes to him none but
Divine attributes. So decidedly is this the case,
that unbelievers in the doctrine of' the Trinity
usually speak of him as an attribute of God. But,
if a mere attribute, then what becomes of the
passages describing his personality, and even dis-
tinguishing him from the Father? In like man-
ner, if the Son is not God, who is he? How
must we understand the title given *o him — " the
Son of God ; " how the attributes of Divinity
ascribed to him ; how the worship offered, and
accepted by him ? Many, in the hope of escap-
ing difficulties, have even reduced our Saviour to

ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. 131

the rank of man. But what difficulties have these
men not to encounter ? What violence of criti-
cism, what forced interpretations, what perver-
sion of doubtful passages and denial of the
authenticity of plain ones, have they not been
compelled to employ ? If, indeed, all difficulty
could be escaped by any particular theory, then
(although perhaps its very clearness would be
suspicious) it might be worthy of examination.
But, hitherto, all objections to the orthodox doc-
trine, if they have shifted or eluded the difficulty,
have never removed it. The recesses of the
Divine Nature constitute a depth that we have
no eye to measure, and no line to fathom ; and
he who rashly presumes upon his powers, sinks
only from one abyss of error and confusion to
another.

But, again, it may be objected, that, " admit-
ting the doctrine of the Trinity not to be contrary
to reason, it is still a mystery, and, as such, ought
not to be made an article of faith." — In answer
to this objection, it may be observed, that in this
doctrine, as in most other objects of faith and
knowledge, there are parts which are plain, and
parts which are obscure. Thus, a man, by reflec-
tion, is infallibly conscious of his own thoughts,
and judges whatever he perceives in himself to
proceed from one common principle, which he

k <2

132 ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.

calls his soal. But what this soul is, or how it
acts upon the body, he cannot conceive. The
nature of the soul, or of its operations, are no less
mysterious than the sublimest truths of religion.
Again ; what idea can we form of infinity and eter-
nity ; and yet is it possible to do otherwise than
believe them? Many similar instances might be
produced to shew how utterly unfounded in the
nature of things is that system of reasoning which
would teach us, that nothing is to be received as
true which we cannot understand. If we attend
to the necessary operations of our own minds, we
shall surely have no difficulty in admitting, that much
is true which we are unable to comprehend. Bring,
my brethren, what you are required to believe of the
Trinity, to this test. You are required to believe,
that these three terms, the Father, the Son, and
the Holy Ghost, are all applied in Scripture to
the One Supreme God ; that all the actions, offices,
attributes which are ascribed to any of these
names, are plainly attributed to, and do truly be-
long to, one and the same Divine Nature ; that
there are such frequent and evident assertions in
Scripture of the Unity of God, and yet such plain
distinctions signified by the terms Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost, as imply both a perfect Unity of nature,
and yet a distinction in the Godhead ; and that this
distinction, whatever it may be, is not the same

ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TUINITY. 133

with that which we conceive betwixt the attributes
of God — nor a mere d inference of name, office, or
relation — but some other distinction of which we
have but a confused conception, and which we
can express by no particular language. A more
accurate acquaintance with spiritual beings, and
especially with the Nature of God, might de-
velop the mysterious parts of this doctrine. Till
then, we profess our faith in them merely as
mysterious.

But even yet the peculiar difficulty involved in
the doctrine of the Trinity may be objected ; viz.
that the same Divine Person is both God and man.
Certain it is, that the Scriptures assert the man
Christ Jesus to be also the Son of God. He
himself speaks of his existence before he " came
into the world," of " the glory which he had with
the Father before the world began," of his being
in " the form of God" before he was in " the
likeness of man." It is also affirmed of him by
the Apostle, that " in him dwelt all the fulness
of the Godhead bodily." And he himself adopts
such language, with regard to the Divine Presence,
as proves, at the least, that God was present with
him in a sense distinct from that in which he was
present in the temple, in the prophets, or in the
heavens. Hence he suffered worship to be ren-
dered to him, which was refused both by the pro-

134 ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.

phets and by his own followers. Hence, also, he
said to Philip, " Hast thou not seen me, Philip ?
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father ; and
how savest thou then, Shew us the Father ?" If
the question be asked, How can God and Man
be united ? I must answer, that I know not. But
neither can I conceive how the soul and body
constitute one man.

If the astonishing facts of the union of God
and man in the same Person, of his birth, and of
his death, be alleged against the truth of the
doctrine, I desire the objector to consider the
stupendous object his birth and death were de-
signed to accomplish. Had man remained in his
original estate, and had there been no need of
redemption, possibly (for I desire to speak with
the deepest humility on such a subject) the Divine
Being might not have revealed himself to man
under these distinct characters. It is possible
that the different titles and relations by which God
has been pleased to express this distinction in the
Godhead should be chiefly considered with refe-
rence to the great work of salvation, and as tending
to that grand consummation of all things, when
the Son of God " shall have delivered up the
kingdom to God even the Father," and when " the
Son also himself shall be subject to him that did
put all things under him, that God may be all in

ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. 135

all." Our belief as to the work of redemption is
this, that the only Supreme God, upon his fore-
knowledge of the fall of man, decreed to redeem
mankind by a Person chosen and qualified for
this work through the fulness of the Divine Na-
ture dwelling in him ; and, in consideration of
his passion and intercession, to impart such gifts,
graces, and spiritual assistances as would be
sufficient to render this Redemption effectual to
the saving of mankind. Now, with a view to this
great design of saving mankind, and to the plan
and method of the Divine Wisdom in the execution
of it; and in order to give us as full and distinct
apprehensions as we are able to receive, of the
misery of our condition, the difficulty of deliver-
ance, and the unspeakable goodness of God in our
restoration, and to fill us with gratitude and love ;
God has been pleased to reveal himself to us,
under several personal relations, such as the Fa-
ther, the Son, and the Holy Ghost — the Father,
the Saviour, the Comforter : by which titles and
all others analagous to these, we are directed to
consider some such kind of distinction and sub-
ordination of offices and relations in the Divine
Nature, as the terms made use of do commonly
import. Thus when God is pleased to represent
his love to mankind by the highest image of nature,
that of a father sacrificing an only and well-beloved

136 ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.

son, the exact transcript of himself, we are to
believe, that, by the sufferings and death of Christ,
God has given us greater proofs of his love than
any man is capable of giving to another : but that
such an action of an earthly parent suggests the
nearest and most impressive conception of what
our heavenly Father has done for us, though
at the same time a conception infinitely short of
the reality.

In conclusion, I would beg to say a few words
on the disposition of mind with which this great
subject should be approached and regarded.

In the first place, Let us approach it with humi-
lity and a deep conviction of our own ignorance.
—God has mercifully given us, as it were, some
glimpses of his nature; and let us not use the light
he has bestowed, to question the truth of his own
Revelation. It may be designed for the trial of
our humility, that something mysterious should be
revealed to us ; in the same manner as affliction
may be designed for the trial of our patience. It
is not for us to say, " It cannot be thus ; I cannot
believe;" but rather, " Speak, Lord, for thy ser-
vant heareth."

Again : Avoid a spirit of presumptuous curiosity,
— -Reason not upo n the mysteries of religion, as
upon topics within the cognizance of human faculties

ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. 137

" The secret things," my brethren, " belong unto
the Lord our God ; but the things that are re-
vealed to us, and to our children, that we may do
them."

In the third place, Beware of regarding this
or any other doctrine of religion, as a merely spe-
culative subject. — All religion tends to practice.
And that doctrine which teaches us that it is the
Son of God who died to save the world, and
the Spirit of God who lives to sanctify it, ought
to exercise a large, a lasting, an habitual influence
upon every feeling, and resolution, and affection of
the mind.

Once more : Beware, under the pretence of sim-
plifying the doctrine, of explaining it away, and
substituting a theory of your own. — God, my
brethren, dispenses salvation in his own appointed
way. And, having revealed this way, man must
expect salvation in no other. Different ages have
had their peculiar temptations upon the subject of
the Trinity. Former periods of the Church have
been chiefly remarkable for their subtile attempts
to explain it : the present is, perhaps, not less
characterised by attempts to subvert it. Be it
your endeavour, my brethren, neither to add to the
Revelation of God, nor to take from it.

On the whole, approach the doctrine with re-
verence, and embrace it with gratitude and joy.

138 ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.

Acknowledge the Son who is thus proclaimed to
you, and pray for the Comforter who is thus pro-
mised. Learn your need of the salvation and the
grace which they respectively communicate; and
you will then also learn to value the doctrine.
Receive and honour them as they require to be
honoured ; and they will enable you, by the sanctity
of your life and the triumphs of your death, to
vindicate the faith you embrace. " Baptized in
the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Ghost," enlist, with your whole heart, under the
banner of the Gospel : and God will " give you
the victory, through Jesus Christ our Lord."

139

SERMON IX.

HOW ABRAHAM SAW THE DAY OF CHRIST,
AND IN WHAT WAY THE TYPES IN THE
OLD TESTAMENT REFERRED TO CHRIST.

john viii. 56.

You ?' father Abraham rejoiced to see my day;
and he saw it, and was glad.

THESE words would, perhaps, be more justly
and, without doubt, would be more intelligibly
translated thus : " Abraham earnestly desired that
he might see my day; and he saw it, and was
glad."

This declaration implies, that Abraham had
possessed some previous knowledge of the Mes-
siah ; that this knowledge, having been in the
first instance general and indeterminate, he ear-
nestly " desired to see" the day of Christ more
clearly ; that he was gratified in this desire ; and
that when " he saw it, he exceedingly rejoiced."

That Abraham had possessed the general know -

140 ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

ledge of the Messiah of which I speak, is proba-
ble ; because the promise had been made to him,
that " in him," that is, in his family or some
one sprung from his loins, should " all the na-
tions of the earth be blessed." But he, pro-
bably, as yet knew little of the nature of the
blessing to be bestowed. This, then, was the
point on which he sought to be informed. And
he was permitted to understand it. He was fa-
voured with such a view of the nature of that
blessing which should come upon all the families
of the earth, and of the manner in which it should
be communicated : he saw so much of the glad
tidings of the Gospel, as to " rejoice" on this
account, and be " glad."

I. I propose, in the first place, to consider at
what time and in what sense Abraham saw the day
of Christ. — The solution of this question must
be sought for in that account of Abraham which
is given in the Old Testament : for our Lord,
in making the declaration in the text, meant to
confirm his own authority. But he could not
confirm it by offering merely his own unsupported
assertion, that Abraham had seen his day. The
fact might be true ; but if he gave no evidence of
it, nothing would be added to the authority of
Christ. He might have known this circumstance

ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. 141

in a miraculous manner ; but if other persons
did not know it except by his assertion, their
belief of it must have rested entirely upon his
word. Our Lord himself inculcated this prin-
ciple of reasoning at the very moment : " If I
honour myself," he said, " my honour is nothing."
We may conclude, therefore, that our Lord ground-
ed his assertion upon something already revealed
in the holy Scriptures.

The history of Abraham, I admit, gives no
specific account of his having either desired to
see the day of the Messiah, or having been per-
mitted to see it. Indeed, if the Old Testament
had spoken plainly on the subject, no occasion
would have existed for our Saviour's remark.
But if there is something in the history of
Abraham which, though not obvious at first, yet
when properly considered, manifests both the
desire of Abraham to see the day of the Messiah
and his having been permitted to see it, and at
the same time affords some peculiar indications
that Jesus Christ was that Messiah ; then there
is a propriety in our Lord's assertion, and the
argument in favour of his own Messiahship is
supported by his appeal to the testimony of
Abraham.

Prophecy is of two kinds — direct and plain,
or indirect and obscure. Of direct prophecies,

142 ON" THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

there are comparatively few ; and, for a wise
reason, namely, that the event might not be for-
warded by man for the purpose of accomplishing
the prophecy. What is the use of prophecy ? It
is not designed to enable mankind to foretel fu-
ture events ; but that, after the events shall have
taken place, they may appear to have been fore-
seen and foretold. An indirect or obscure pro-
phecy is better calculated than a plain one, to
answer this general end. It is more free from
suspicion, and yet proves as fully the Divine
foreknowledge. Accordingly, a great part of
the prophecies, especially those relating to the
Messiah, were obscure. The event was to be
the key which should open and illustrate them.

Whoever has attended to the usual style of our
Lord, must have observed, that he was accus-
tomed to make declarations which were at the
time mysterious. These were intended to excite
reflection and inquiry ; and, when comprehended,
through subsequent meditation, or the further
explanations of our Lord, or illustrated by suc-
ceeding events, they were found to contain some
most important and interesting truths. The
declaration respecting Abraham was probably
of this kind. It was intended for the conviction,
not so much of those cavilling adversaries who
disputed rather than inquired ; and who sought

ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. 143

to confound him, rather than to be instructed
themselves ; but of those humble and sincere
disciples, who " pondered these things in their
hearts," who were " waiting for the consolation
of Israel," and who gladly received the testimony
that Christ was the Messiah. Such persons
would be confirmed in their faith by finding, in
the history of Abraham, an illustration of some
of the principal points in the life and death of our
blessed Saviour.

The part of Abraham's history which affords
this illustration is, as I apprehend, that which
relates to his intended sacrifice of his only son
Isaac. Abraham was, in the first place, called
to give the highest possible proof of his obedience
to God which could be given ; to offer, at the
command of God, a sacrifice, the most painful
which could be required of a parent — the sacrifice
of his beloved son. And this test to which his
faith was put was rendered peculiarly severe by
the circumstance of Isaac's being the son of pro-
mise ; for it was declared, that " in Isaac should
his seed be called." Here, therefore, both the
obedience and the faith of Abraham displayed
themselves in the most remarkable manner. His
obedience induced him to make the sacrifice ; his
faith assured him, that when it should have been
made, Isaac would again be raised to life from

144 ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

the dead, by the almighty power of God. Such
obedience and faith God was pleased highly to
reward, making the act by which they were
evinced the very means both of manifesting the
coming of the Messiah and of satisfying his ear-
nest desire to know the manner in which the
world through him should be " blessed ;" — so
true is it, that when God calls us to great and
self-denying duties, however painful may be our
apprehensions, he will not fail to sustain us in
their faithful discharge.

In ancient times, Divine instruction was often
communicated by actions, and these were symbo-
lical of some other event or action. Thus Elisha
directed " Joash, the king of Israel, to take a
bow and arrows, and to shoot eastward, and to
smite upon the ground. And when he smote
thrice, and stayed, the man of God was wroth
with him, and said, Thou shouldst have smitten
five or six times ; then hadst thou smitten Syria
till thou hadst consumed them : whereas, now,
thou shalt smite Syria but thrice." Of this mode
of instruction we have innumerable instances in
Scripture ;— as where Jeremiah by God's direction
hides the linen girdle in a hole of the rock near
Euphrates ; where he breaks a potter's vessel in
sight of the people ; where he puts on bonds and
yokes ; where Ezekiel carries out his household-

ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. 145

stuff, and joins together the two sticks for Israel
and Judah ; and, to come nearer to the time of
Abraham, where Jacob wrestled with the angel
during the night. Now, it is probable, that the
redemption of Jesus Christ might be pointed out
after this symbolical manner, by the sacrifice of
Isaac ; after the same manner in which it was
afterwards pointed out by the brazen serpent in
the wilderness.

Supposing, then, Abraham to be subsequently
instructed by Divine Revelation in the meaning of
that sacrifice of Isaac which had been required of
him ; he would thus learn that the sacrifice which
he had found so difficult, was also to be made by
the Almighty Father of the world ; that as Isaac
was the child of promise, so the illustrious Person
descended from himself, in whom all the nations of
the world should be blessed, would be still more
eminently the subject of all the promises and
prophecies of God ; that as Isaac went to Mount
Moriah to be laid upon the altar, so should the
Son of God be afterwards offered on that same
mountain ; that as Isaac carried the wood for
his own sacrifice, so should Christ be the bearer
of the cross. " So very exact, too, was the para-
bolical representation, that the duration of the
action, viz. three days, was the same as between
Christ's death and resurrection, both which were

VOL. I. L

146 ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

designed to be represented in it ; and further, that
not only the final sacrifice of the Son of God
was figured in the commanded one of Isaac, but
the intermediate typical sacrifice in the Mosaic
ceconomy was represented by the permitted sa-
crifice of the ram offered up instead of Isaac." —
(Warburton.)

II. Allowing this representation to be just, it
becomes important, not merely as elucidating
some remarkable words of our blessed Lord,
but as affording us a key to interpret the manner
in which Christ is prefigured in the Old Testa-
ment.

If it be true, that such an illustrious Person
as the Son of God did indeed come down from
heaven, and give his life for the redemption of
the world ; it might be expected that there would
be some antecedent notice of his advent, and that
if any revelation were made by God, it would
have some reference to Jesus Christ. If there
were no such anticipation of his coming, there
might be reason to doubt his pretensions. Had
there been no previous revelation, there might
have been no ground for this doubt ; but, if pre-
vious revelations had been given, they might na-
turally be expected to point to Him who was
infinitely the most august and glorious subject of

ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. 147

prophecy. — This, then, is the sum of my observa-
tions. In all the principal revelations of God a
reference was made, on every fit occasion, to the
Messiah, as the grand object to which the hopes
and expectations of man ought to be directed ; a
reference obscure indeed, but yet sufficiently clear
for the purpose it was intended to answer. Thus,
in the very first Divine communication made to
man after the fall, an intimation was given, that
the " Seed of the woman should bruise the ser-
pent's head." Instruction of the same kind was
afforded by the institution of sacrifice ; an insti-
tution evidently of Divine appointment ; — an in-
stitution of which, though the Scriptures give no
account of its origin, traces are found in the his-
tory before the Flood, and which is employed by
Noah as an institution familiar to him. For
" Noah," it is said, " builded an altar unto the
Lord, and took of every clean beast and of every
clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on the
altar." Nothing could afford a more just repre-
sentation of the great Atonement to be offered for
sin than the appointment of sacrifice. We know
that it was of the most ancient date, and that it
became general through the world, and yet that
the nations using it could give no rational account
of the grounds of their own practice. The act of
immolating an innocent animal appears to have

l 2

248 ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

had in itself little tendency to take away the guilt
of sin, or render the Deity propitious ; yet it was
resorted to for these purposes in almost every
heathen land. If considered as originally ap-
pointed to typify the sacrifice of Christ, the
appointment appears at once to be reasonable
and judicious.

As we proceed with the sacred history, we find
that the true knowledge of God being lost to the
world, it pleased the Almighty to reveal himself
to Abraham ; who received a call to leave his
idolatrous relations, and to remove to aland which
God would shew him. Here was another reve-
lation : and in this there was, first, a promise that
Abraham should be the means of blessing the
whole earth ; next, a promise limited to his de-
scendants bv Isaac ; then to one individual of those
descendants. He was also further instructed by
that typical act required of him, of which we
have spoken, in what manner all the nations of
the world should be blessed in his Seed.

As we advance still further in the Sacred Re-
cords, we find that a new revelation was made
to Moses with a publicity and splendour and a
profusion of evidence before unknown to the
■world. Here also we may expect to find traces
of the great Redeemer ; but of what kind did they
prove to be ? They were still typical. There was

ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. 140

an unquestionable reference in almost all the
institutions of Moses to the great Author of our
salvation. The blood of sacrifices was to be per*
petually offered ; an high priest was ordained ;
various rites were prescribed, with a scrupulous
particularity of circumstances ; and, when the great
High Priest had come and offered his perfect sa-
crifice, all these institutions appeared to have been
designed for the purpose of shewing, that lie who
appointed them had in his eye the grand Pattern
and Archetype which should afterwards be exhi-
bited to the world.

After this period, God manifested himself to his
people by the Prophets.

This was a fuller mode of revelation. By this
the will and intentions of the Most High were
capable of being declared more plainly. Accord-
ingly the Prophets give far more distinct notice
of the Messiah, — of the wonderful manner of his
birth, — of the place and the time in which he
should appear, — of the family from which he
should descend, — of the dignity with which he
should be invested, — of the miracles which he
should perform, — of the contempt and persecu-
tion to which he should be subjected, — of the vio-
lent death which he should suffer,— of his resurrec-
tion from the dead on the third day, as well as of
the nature of his Gospel, the success with which

150 ON THE TYPES 1ST THE OLD TESTAMENT.

it should be preached, the extent and glory of his
kingdom, and the everlasting blessings to be com-
municated by him to the world. All these things
are so intelligibly predicted, that there can be
no question as to their reference to Jesus Christ
alone.

Thus we see that Abraham, Moses, and all the
Prophets give witness to him, and prophesied of
his day. Yet it must be remarked, that the refe-
rence which they made to him was to the men of
their own day obscure. It was intended to be so.
If the reason of this be asked, that question may
be answered by another : Why was not the whole
plan of salvation accomplished in the first age of
the world ? Doubtless the Divine Wisdom saw
just reasons for delaying so great a blessing for
four thousand years. " In the fulness of time," that
is, at the best-adapted season, " God manifested
his Son." Now the same reasons which induced
the delay of the event might also justify the with-
holding of full information concerning it. We
surely are not competent to determine the degree
of light proper to be communicated. The notice
■was sufficient to answer the intended purpose,
although it consisted only in an obscure reference.
The Apostle, in remarking on this very point,
declares, that " the Law had only a shadow of
good things to come, and not the very image."

ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. 151

Its resemblance was like that which the shadow
bears to the person, not like that which is afforded
by a picture or a statue. It exhibited the great
outline, but not every feature of the body. The
resemblance was strong in some points : it was not
necessary that it should be exact in all.

III. What, then, was the design of the reference
to the Saviour ? I reply, that it was various. It
respected the persons who lived before our Lord,
those who were his contemporaries on earth, and
those who lived after him.

1. In respect of the persons living before the
time of our Lord, it seems to have had in
view the following ends : — First, It served to
produce in their minds a general impression,
that some great Person was to come into the
world, who should be "■ a light to lighten the
Gentiles, and the glory of God's people Israel."
They were led to transmit this imperfect know-
ledge from generation to generation ; a know-
ledge perpetually enlarging itself; so that when
the illustrious Saviour appeared, there might
be a ready apprehension of his character, and
a willingness to hail him as the Messiah. — Se-
condly, It was intended to improve and exer-
cise faith ; that quality so suited to the state of
man, which in the sight of God is of great price,

152 ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

and which is the appointed means of salvation.
In this sense the Gospel was preached before to
Abraham, and Abraham partook of its blessings :
" He believed God, and it was counted to him
for righteousness." By faith, every great and
glorious action under the Old Testament dis-
pensation was performed ; so that the principle
on which the venerable fathers of the Jewish
Church acted, was substantially the same as that
by which we are influenced, though the object of
their faith was less clearly apprehended. It is
obvious, that the same object may be more or less
distinctly seen, as the object itself indeed may
vary, while the principle of faith preserves both
its excellency and its vigour. That the members
of the Jewish Church did not understand as fully
as we the nature of the Gospel Salvation, is un-
questionable. But they knew that a great Saviour
and Deliverer, the Hope of all the ends of the
earth, the Desire of all nations, should arise; and
they, like Abraham, looked forward, desiring to
see the day of Christ. Like Simeon, they " waited
for the Lord's salvation." And this principle sanc-
tified their services, as it dees ours, and rendered
them also " accepted in the Beloved." — These
obscure intimations concerning the Messiah dis-
posed them, in the third place, to holy meditation
and devout reflection. They were taught to com-

ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. 153

pare one Revelation, already made, with another
— one part of their own Scriptures with another.
" They searched what, or what manner of things
the Spirit of God did signify, when he spake of
the sufferings of Christ, and the glory which
should follow." And as this contemplation of the
Divine Word was a religious exercise highly ac-
ceptable to God, it may have pleased him to be-
stow, on the more pious amongst them, such Di-
vine illumination as enabled them to comprehend
the types and typical actions much more fully
than is generally apprehended. God may have
rewarded extraordinary obedience and faith with
extraordinary light, and thus extended to others
the hope and consolation vouchsafed to Abra-
ham.

2. The Divine purpose, as it respected the
Jews living when our Saviour came upon earth,
was somewhat different. — These obscure inti-
mations were gradually discovered to correspond
with the scenes of the life and death of Jesus
Christ; and thus indicated him to be the great
Messiah of whom the Prophets had spoken. To
those who believed in Christ they were a power-
ful confirmation of faith. This, indeed, was the
grand argument which convinced the Jews even
more than the miracles which he wrought; for the
word of the Apostles " mightily prevailed," when

154 ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

they proved from the Scriptures, that Christ had
all the characters of the Messiah, and " that thus
and thus it behoved him to suffer, and to die, and
to rise again from the dead,"

3. And, to us, the ancient testimony concern-
ing Christ answers the same valuable purpose.
We now can look back upon a regular connected
series of revelations, originating at the creation
of the world, and delivered in sundry ways, by
different instruments, and at various times, so
that it was impossible to suppose any human
concert, and yet uniting to prefigure the advent of
that Saviour in whom we trust, and the principal
events of his life and death. If these descriptive
prophecies had been more clear, they might
perhaps have been more useful to the Jews to
whom they were delivered ; but they would have
been less convincing to us. Those prophecies,
and those prefigu rations of Christ, afford the
most conclusive evidence to us, which are now
seen to refer evidently to Christ, and which yet,
previous to their fulfilment, were so obscure, that
the coincidence of the event could not have been
designed. To us, therefore, provided the appli-
cation of the prophecy be clear, the obscurity of
its terms is an advantage. We do not require
information from the types and prophecies re-
specting the nature of the Messiah. This, we suf-

ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. 155

nciently derive from the writings of the Apostles.
The point of importance to us, is the intended
reference to Jesus Christ. If that reference be
evident, it is of very inferior moment to know in
how many particular circumstances it consists.

These observations appear to me important, in
suggesting the use to be made of the Old Testa-
ment. Errors and prejudices have been enter-
tained, in consequence of not clearly apprehend-
ing the character of this portion of Revelation.
Some have been staggered because there was
so little mention of Jesus Christ. Others have
thought, that every passage in it must be strained
in order to render it applicable to him. Some
pious men, from a high sense of the infinite
dignity of Christ, and the importance of his sal-
vation, have put such forced constructions on the
words of the Old Testament and the types which
it contains, that they have made the subject ridi-
culous in the eyes of the world. Others have
gone into a contrary extreme, and have unrea-
sonably curtailed that evidence which prevailed
so triumphantly with the primitive church — that
evidence which our Lord himself employed, when,
" beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he
expounded in the Scriptures the things concerning
himself." — Between these, a line of distinction
may be drawn. Let a just idea be formed of

156 ON THE TYPES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

the several designs of the types and prophecies.
Let it be fully understood, that they could not,
and ought not to have been perfectly clear ; that
this necessary mystery was not to be unveiled,
till Christ should come, and the fact explain
the prophecy ; then I think we shall see, that
throughout the Old Testament, there is just that
reference to Christ which there ought to be — a
reference sufficiently plain for the inferior faith
which the pious believers of old time possessed,
sufficiently obscure to demand study in the appli-
cation of it, and yet sufficiently clear to establish
the faith and hope of us to whom the Son of Man
is revealed.

Whatever contributes to the due understanding
of the Oracles of Truth ; whatever removes or di-
minishes the difficulties in them ; whatever tends
to shew the excellence of Scripture, is practical,
useful, and important, and may, therefore, be the
subject of a ministerial address. This considera-
tion will justify the discussion of a topic not so
immediately addressed to the conscience as the
subjects which I generally wish to propose.

157

SERMON X.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PATRIARCHAL,
JEWISH, AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS.

(PREACHED ON CHRISTMAS-DAY.)

LUKE X. 23, 24.

Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye
see. For I tell you that many prophets and
kings have desired to see those things zohich
ye see, and have not seen them ; and to hear
those things which ye hear, and have not heard
them.

IT is a common but very just observation, that
we are seldom duly sensible of the value of our
blessings till we are deprived of them. There is
in man an unhappy propensity to look at his
wants rather than his mercies; to wish his state
better, rather than to be thankful for what it is ;

158 ON THE PATRIARCHAL, JEWISH,

and to contrast his enjoyments rather with some
fancied state of felicity, than with the inferior
blessings which others possess.

This remark is applicable to our case, under
the Christian dispensation. How few persons
bless God that they dwell in the " days of the
Son of Man ! " How few comfort themselves
amidst the troubles and sorrows of life, with the
reflection, that they enjoy spiritual privileges and
mercies of the noblest kind, and in the greatest
abundance ! — My brethren, do you reflect, that
you live in the bright day of the glorious Gospel
of the Son of God ; that all the treasures of the
Divine Wisdom and Goodness are displayed to
you; that all the promises of the Gospel are
yours ? Well may I say to you, in the words of my
text, " Blessed are the eyes which see the things
that ye see: for I tell you, that many prophets and
kings have desired to see those things which ye
see, and have not seen them ; and to hear those
things which ye hear, and have not heard them."

The way to know how much we are distin-
guished, is, carefully to compare our situation with
that of our fellow-creatures. Let us, then, consider
our circumstances as Christians, in reference to
those of others (an employment very suitable to
the design of this day), and we shall perceive what
reason we have to be peculiarly thankful.

AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS. 159

But before I enter upon this comparison, I
would ask, What is your idea of being truly blessed ?
Does your heart reply, "It is to possess good
health and spirits, agreeable friends and sufficient
affluence to supply all the comforts and conve-
niences of life?" If these be your views, there
is a wide difference between us in the outset.
Christ did not come into the world to bestow
on his disciples blessings of this description. All
these the heathen may enjoy in as large a mea-
sure as Christians; and therefore, if this be the
turn of your sentiments, you, of course, cannot
consider yourself as "blessed" because you live
in the days of Christ. In order to form a true
judgment on this point, our minds must be spiri-
tual : we must feel the force of eternal things, and
acquire a just sense of the value of the present life.
We must place ourselves on some lofty point,
where we can command at once the view of thou-
sands of ages ; and, from that elevation, must
form our estimate of this world, with all its
comforts and enjoyments. We must set before
our contemplation the great and glorious God,
and the unspeakable benefit of doing his will and
possessing his favour. We must discern the
beauty and excellence of holiness ; and must per-
ceive the infinite superiority of the soul to the
body. Christianity makes the lowest of its dis-

]60 ON THE PATRIARCHAL, JEWISH,

ciples philosophers in a juster sense than that in
which the term was ever ascribed to the philo-
sophers of old ; that is, it teaches them duly to
estimate and worthily to love real wisdom. Who-
ever, therefore, would pass his judgment on the
value of Christianity, must have an understanding
sufficiently enlightened to comprehend it ; a taste
sufficiently pure to admire it ; and a heart suffi-
ciently holy to love it. The sensual, the worldly,
the covetous, the dissipated, the frivolous, want
the necessary faculties : " The carnal mind is en-
mity against God.1' "The natural man receiveth
not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him ; neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned."

But I address myself, I trust, to those in this
assembly who can duly appreciate that light, and
truth, and glory, which the Son of God has re-
vealed. Such persons will enter with pleasure
into the comparison which I shall make of our
condition in respect to religious privileges, with
those, first, of the Heathen world ; and, then, of
the Patriarchal and Jezvisk dispensations.

I. Let us survey the state of the heathen
world. — Place yourself, for a moment, amongst
them, and consider what would then be your situa-
tion with respect to knowledge and virtue.

AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS. 1 6 1

1. As to knowledge — Every thing amon^ the
heathens was obscure and uncertain. They had
arrived at no certain conclusions respecting right
and wrong. They were in the dark as to the
nature of God. His being, indeed, they could
not but confess ; his power and wisdom were
■every where apparent; — but what was his cha-
racter ; whether he concerned himself with man or
not; whether there were many Supreme Beings,
or only One ; were questions which to them were
covered with an impenetrable veil : and, if any
one among them was led to entertain a real
regard for truth, lie must have been tormented
with doubts, and occupied in fruitless inquiries
respecting them. All was also dark with respect
to the circumstances of man in the world : how
he originally came into it; how evil obtained so
general a prevalence there ; what was the Crea-
tor's design in giving us existence ; — all this was
matter of uncertain speculation. The same dark-
ness and doubt prevailed with respect to the
future. Whether man would exist at all after the
death of the body ; and, if he did, where, and
in what manner ; were points which no one could
satisfactorily determine. Socrates himself, one of
the wisest and best of the heathens, although,
while pleading his cause, he had ably discoursed
concerning the happy state of the good in another

VOL. I. m

10fi ON THE PATRIARCHAL, JEWISH,

life, yet plainly confessed the uncertainty of all
human conclusions respecting futurity, in thus
taking leave of his judges: " And now I am going
off the stage : it is your lot to live, and mine to
die ; but whether of us two shall fare the better,
is unknown to any but to God alone."

2. In the heathen world, also, vice dreadfully
prevailed. And what authority was there to check
its prevalence ? What principles strong enough to
enable men to resist it ? Their worship was base
and degrading, offered in general to idols repre-
senting beings who were described as the patrons
of corruption. Their ideas were worldly, sensual,
and grovelling : they had no sentiments fitted to
transport their minds beyond the present scene,
or to raise them above the lusts of the flesh. And
was not that an awful and melancholy state, in
which ignorance and vice thus prevailed ? But,
alas! how many professed Christians are there
among us, who do not discern the misery of such
a state! How many, even of these, desire no be-
nefit from the knowledge they possess of the truths
of Revelation! How will the heathens themselves
rise up to condemn them ! Socrates declared,
that he would be contented to die many times
if he could but be assured that those things were
true, which he wished to be so, respecting a future
state. Some professing Christians, on the con-

AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS. 163

trary, who have the knowledge of these things
distinctly revealed to them, are indifferent about
it. Far from accounting it an evil to live amongst
heathens where vice should abound, they would
probably prefer it. They desire to be unchecked
by the secret suggestions of conscience, or the
remonstrances of religion ; so true is that remark,
which I before made, that it is necessary to be
spiritually-minded in order to judge of the value
of Christianity.

II. But let us turn our eyes from the state of
the heathens, to the fairer view of those who were
in some measure enlightened by Divine knowledge.
Even here we shall see great reason to be thank-
ful for the higher dispensation under which we
live.

Here, however, it will be proper, first to notice
some common points of resemblance between the
Patriarchal and Mosaic dispensations, by which
they were brought into close alliance with the
clearer dispensation that succeeded them. They
both declared the Unity of God, and the evil of
idolatry : they both described the will of God to
be the only rule of right : they both affirmed the
corruption of human nature, and pointed to sacri-
fices as an atonement for sin : they both taught
men to live a holy and godly life, and, by faith,

m 2

164 ON THE PATRIARCHAL, JEWISH,

to wait for a better, that is, a heavenly country i
they both instructed their followers to seek their
peace aud happiness only in God, and inculcated
continual trust and dependance upon him : they
both required man to love God, and to obey him
cheerfully, uniformly, constantly : they both had
frequent, though obscure, references to the Saviour
A\ho was to come, and both were under the sanc-
tion of the Almighty. Yet, notwithstanding these
points of agreement, by which also they approxi-
mated to the clearer light of the Gospel-dispensa-
tion, many of their privileges and advantages fell
exceedingly short of those which we have the
happiness to enjoy.

* To speak first of the patriarchal dispensa-
tion— One great instance of its inferiority was its
iv ant of clear and sufficient authority. Probably
the laws and observances enjoined by it were first
communicated by God to Adam, and transmitted
by him to his children. Now it is easy to see
that such a religion would become more and more
obscure, imperfect, and corrupt in every succeed-
ing generation. Many things would be forgotten,
many misunderstood, many improperly added.
After the death of Adam, there was no acknow-
ledged standard of appeal, no source of know-
ledge but tradition. Hence we find that, after a
.very few ages, idolatry universally prevailed ; and

AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS. 1 65

the true knowledge of God was nearly obliterated
from the face of the earth. It does not appear
that there were then any stated public ordinances.
We do not hear of persons assembling in numbers
to worship God. Men had no Scriptures which
they could read in order to enliven their affections,
to animate their zeal, or to exalt their hope. They
had no priests ministering before the altars. More-
over, their views of another state, as well as of
a Redeemer, were extremely dark and imperfect;
for, however Enoch or Noah or Abraham might
look forward to a future Deliverer, and a blessed
eternity, it is certain that the generality of men in
that day had a very small share of such light and
knowledge. Even Abraham himself is represented
as stretching forward with eajjer desire to " behold
the day of Christ." He was aware that an era of
great illumination was approaching; and that an
illustrious Saviour would descend from heaven.
He earnestly desired to " see that day;" and he
was specially favoured with an anticipation of it,
and "was glad." In a word, the Patriarchal dis-
pensation was intended to be of no long duration.
It was calculated for a few families, rather than for
a world. It answered, however, some important
purposes : it manifested the need there was of u
superior revelation, and it then gave way to the
^economy introduced under Moses.

166 ON THE PATRIARCHAL. JEWISH,

On the mosaic dispensation we now pro-
ceed to offer a few remarks.

The Apostle, in the Epistle to the Galatians,
asks this question, — " To what, then, serveth the
Law?" If, as he had been stating, the Law could
not give life; if it did not disannul the great
promise given to Abraham of the blessings to be
communicated to the world by a future Messiah,
" to what serveth the Law? It was added," he
says, " because of transgression, till the seed
should come, to whom the promise was made."
These words supply us with an idea of the pre-
cise nature of the Jewish covenant. It made no
alteration with respect either to the mode of man's
acceptance, or the duties which were owing to God
and man. It did not change either the way of
salvation or the general nature of religion : but it
was added as a temporary expedient, in order to
maintain the knowledge of God and of his laws ; in
order to enhance the sense of the evil of sin ; and
in order to prepare the minds of men for that
Redeemer who was to rise upon the world, like
the sun in his strength, bringing light and life to
the nations. — Under the Patriarchal dispensation,
men had gradually lost the knowledge of God.
They seem to have forgotten him partly through
the want of those religious institutions which might
have preserved the mind from wandering after the

AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS. 1 67

vain superstitions and idolatrous worship of the
heathens. God therefore chose one nation from
among the rest of mankind, to be the depository
of his truth. He arrested the attention of his
people by the most remarkable signs and miracles:
he united them in one worship by means of pecu-
liar rites : he captivated their senses by a religion
of external pomp ; and thus, while the substance
of the former religion was preserved, the form and
dress were varied. The Divine purpose was thus
answered. If a perfect religion was not esta-
blished ; if clear and just views of doctrinal truth
were not communicated ; yet, under the external
covering of ceremonies, the substance of truth, was
preserved. Every sound doctrine known before
was retained and enlarged ; every doctrine to be
afterwards developed was obscurely shadowed out;
and a multitude of restraints and peculiar ordi-
nances were added, in order to secure the public
celebration of the worship of the one true God.

Now it is obvious from this account of the
imperfect nature of the Jewish dispensation, how
earnestly the " kings and prophets," who lived
under it, would " desire to see the things which
we see," and to " hear the things which we hear."
— That dispensation may be considered as having
been inferior to the Christian, in the following
particulars.

168 ON THE PATRIARCHAL, JEWISH,

1 . It was chiefly composed of types and sh adows,
of forms and ceremonies. — Its ordinances did but
" shadow forth good things to come;" but " the
body was of Christ," who was the perfection and
accomplishment of the whole. We cannot wonder,
if we consider the ignorance and corruption of
man, that the worshippers under the Law should
place too high a value upon these ceremonies, and
should too little regard the substance. The error
arose from the very nature of the dispensation
under which they were placed. ;

2. The Jewish dispensation abounded with
severe and burdensome impositions. — The devout
worshippers of that dispensation were subject to
costly duties, to chargeable sacrifices, to painful
abstinences, to troublesome purifications. If
but by chance they touched an unclean thing,
they were obliged to submit, both to a temporary
confinement and to the expense of a sacrifice.
They were required to take three journeys to
Jerusalem in every year; a requisition often
attended with great inconvenience. In a word,
they were under " a yoke" which they were " not
able themselves to bear." But the yoke is taken
from our shoulders : we are no more subject to
severe commands, and painful restrictions; but,
like a son in his father's house, are subject to the
law of love.

AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS. I 6(J

3. The Mosaic dispensation is inferior to the
Christian, inasmuch as the latter is founded upon
better promises ; — better, as being of a more sub-
lime and excellent nature, as being promises of
spiritual and eternal things, such as grace, pardon,
peace, and eternal life. — The Mosaic dispensa-
tion, considered as a particular covenant made
\vith the Jetvs at Mount Sinai, promised no other
than temporal blessings ; plenty, and prosperity,
and the happiness of this life. These were the
benefits chiefly held up to view. I do not say,
that spiritual and eternal things were not revealed;
but then they were not exhibited with that fulness
and clearness which characterise them in the days
of the Son of man. Under the Christian ceco-
nomy, all the promises are pure and spiritual. It
is not a temporal Canaan ; it is not external pros-
perity ; it is not the pardon of ceremonial un-
cleanness, that are promised ; but the kingdom of
heaven, reconciliation with God, the forgiveness
of sin, and eternal life. Temporal gifts indeed are
held out -to us, as well as to them ; but, with this
remarkable difference : — to them, earthly benefits
were types and pledges of spiritual ; to us, spiritual
blessings are assurances of temporal so far, and
so far only, as the Divine Wisdom shall see fit.
The spiritual truths proposed before were dimly
;evealed, and few of the people understood them :

170 ON THE PATRIARCHAL, JEWISH,

but, for us, the veil is removed, and we " behold
the glory of the Lord with open face." The views
entertained by the Jews, of the state of man m
another life, were probably gross and carnal ;
but, to us, the Gospel has perspicuously shewn
the invisible things of the other world : — it has in-
structed us in the nature of that heaven whiah is
promised to the righteous ; a state of spiritual joys,
of pure and rational delights ; a conformity of our
nature to that, of God himself, and an endless and
uninterrupted communion with him. In this re-
spect, the light of our days was emphatically fore-
told to be " as the light of seven days ;" and it was
declared, that no man should have occasion to tell
his neighbour to know the Lord, for that " all
should know him from the greatest to the least.''
The meanest believer of our day may possess a
clearer knowledge than kings and prophets of the
former time.

4. Another remarkable circumstance, in which
the superiority of our dispensation consists, is, the
larger and more abundant communication of the
Holy Spirit. — To the Jews, it was granted, as it
were, by drops : on us, it is abundantly poured
forth. The plentiful effusions of the Spirit were
reserved, as the great blessing of the evangelical
state. It was foretold, that God would " pour
water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon

AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS. l7l

the dry ground ;" that he would " put his Spirit
within men," in the Gospel-times, and cause them
to " walk in his statutes, and to keep his judgments
to do them." Hence the Apostle while he styles
the Law a ministration of death, characterises the
Gospel as the ministration of the Spirit. The
Gospel was to make men partakers of a Divine
nature, quickening them by the operation of the
Spirit, and cleansing them from their sins. Oh
invaluable privilege ! Oh glorious distinction !
What a rich consolation for the weak and un-
worthy children of men, that God will vouchsafe
to them the help of his own Spirit to guide them
in the way of peace, and to lead them to everlast-
ing glory !

5. Further : The Christian dispensation excels
the Mosaic in the marine?* of its establishment. —
The Law was delivered with pomp indeed, but
with an awful pomp. It was ratified by miracles,
which Moses was enabled to perform ; but even
these had in them something terrible : they were
demonstrations of justice and anger. By his judg-
ments God desolated the land of Egypt ; he over-
whelmed Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea ;
he punished the Israelites. But when Jesus came,
" the Mediator of a better covenant," a different
appearance was exhibited : " God" was " manifest
in the flesh," and came to dwell among us. He

\l'i ON THE PATRIARCHAL, JEWISH,

displayed Divine power indeed ; but it was not to
punish or to affright mankind. All his actions
had one character, and that was a character of
beneficence. Innumerable were the miracles of
kindness and love, by which the Saviour mani-
fested his good-will to man.

6. The Christian dispensation is superior to the
Jewish, in respect to the spirit of its institution. —
The spirit of the Gospel is a spirit of liberty.
We are required by it to " love God with all our
heart, and soul, and strength." We also find him
exhibited in it as a Being of such benignity, that
those who truly believe cannot fail to love him.
This principle of love being once established in the
heart, we are left to manifest it in the way most
natural and expedient. The positive rights or-
dained are very few : the yoke is easy, and the
burden light. Nothing is required which we do
not ourselves see to be reasonable : nothing which
does not evidently conduce to our own benefit.

In a word, to use the metaphor sanctioned by
the Apostle, while under the Law, Ave were at
" school under tutors and governors," and " dif-
fered in nothing from servants." But, now, Ave
are brought home to our Father's house. Now
we are " one with God, and God with us;" we
dwell in peace with him ; we become sons of God
by being disciples of Christ: we look up to him

AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS. 173

with confidence, and trust to dwell in his imme-
diate presence for ever.

And, as the Christian dispensation in so many
points exceeds those which have preceded it, so it
will continue without change as Ions: as the world
shall endure. God has now given to the world a
Revelation adequate to its wants — a system which
secures the glory of God, and the happiness and
holiness of man. There may, indeed, be periods
when the Spirit shall be even more liberally poured
out than in the first ages of Christianity. These
seasons will arrive : they are devoutly prayed for
by the whole Church : they are confidently antici-
pated in the prophecies of old. The time, bless-
ed be God, shall come when " the earth shall
be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the
waters cover the seas." But, even then, he will
vouchsafe, not a new revelation, but a more glo-
rious manifestation of the old. Nothing need be
added; for the work of the Son of God is com-
pleted, and it is the office of the Spirit only to
give efficacy to that work. All that is sufficient
for the conversion, the edification, and the final
glory of mankind, has already been accomplished
in the dispensation of the Son of God.

Behold, then, my Christian brethren, behold
the hope to which God has invited you. Know

174 ON THE PATRIARCHAL, JEWISH,

your privileges and blessings. How many of the
prophets of old, when the Spirit of God had in-
spired them to foretel of your days, searched di-
ligently to discover of what manner of things they
were instructed to speak, and who were the persons
to whom such blessings should belong. What
would Abraham, what would Moses, what would
David, what would Isaiah not have done tor suf-
fered, to " see the days" in which you live ! They
beheld them only afar off, and yet the sight trans-
ported them with joy. They called upon the
whole earth to M rejoice and break forth into sing-
ing," on account of the great things which God
would do for his people in the latter days. These
are the " latter days." The days of glory are
those in which you live : the night is spent : the
" Sun of Righteousness" has arisen in all its splen-
dour. The full Revelation of God has been placed
before your eyes. You dwell in the Church of
Christ : all his ordinances are set before you.
Every Sabbath are you called upon to taste of
the mercy and goodness of the Lord. The seals
of his covenant are offered to you ; and all the
treasures of his Gospel, and all the promises of
his word, are daily exhibited to your view. It is
surely then your part to value and improve these
inestimable privileges.

It is your part to value them. — You ought to

AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS. 175

esteem them the chief good of your lives; a privi-
lege incomparably superior to any other ; a bless-
ing for which, every morning and every evening,
upon your bended knees, with the deepest gratitude,
you ought to bless God. The Gospel should be
your consolation in adversity — a sufficient com-
pensation for all your losses. Of other blessings
you may be deprived ; but this will survive the
shock of accident, and the ravages of time. But
do you value, as you ought, the benefits procured
by Jesus Christ? Have you weighed the import
of that argument of the Apostle, " He that spared
not his own Son, but hath given him up for us
all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things ?"' Let your consciences faithfully say, whe-
ther you have duly prized this inestimable Gift. —
Let us suppose the day of judgment arrived : you
are called to the bar, and hear a voice, saying,
" Here is one to whom much indeed has been
given : for this man, the Son of God died : to
him the Holy Spirit was offered : the promises of
God were continually sounding in his ears : all the
Divine. love and mercy were set before him, in
order to draw him to God." But if you should
have disregarded these mercies and blessings, what
will you answer ? Will you reply, that your
thoughts were too much engaged by the concerns
of time and sense to attend to these subjects r

1?6 OK THE PATRIARCH At, JEWISH,

Where, then, was your gratitude ? Where was
your true wisdom ? What will be the force of
such an apology before the angels, before the
" kings and prophets, who desired to see the
things you see, and to hear the things you hear,"
but were not allowed so great a privilege r — -
You are now too much occupied to attend to
these things. Occupied about what ? About the
trifles which perish with the using ! — You are now
satisfied without these things. Satisfied with what?
With joys which will shortly flee away for ever!

I observe, lastly, that it is our first duty —
I say again, our first duty — to improve the re-
ligious advantages we possess. We rejoice that
Christ was born into the world. But for what end
was he born ? It was not only to make atone-
ment for sin, but also to gather to himself a ■' pe-
culiar people, zealous of good works." Let us not
" glory" in the mere name of Christians. Our
business is to consider the ends for which Christ
came, to follow him in the regeneration, to ap-
propriate to ourselves his atonement by a lively
faith, and to receive his laws as our own laws, and
to make his life the model of our own. If we do
these things, we shall be blessed indeed — blessed,
not because we have been born into the world, but
because we have been born in " the days of the
Son of Man."

177

SERMON XL

ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

1 john i. 3, 4.
That which we have seen and heard declare we
unto yon, that ye also may have fellowship with
us j and truly our fellowship is zvith the Father,
and zvith his So?i Jesus Christ. And these
things write we unto you, that your joy may
be full.

1 HE Communion of Saints is an article of our
faith, which we are taught to profess in that short
summary of it which we so often repeat, and which
is commonly called the Apostles' Creed. It was
probably thought more worthy of mention than
other subjects, wrhich, though not specified, are
equally material, on account of its importance in
a practical point of view. It appears to be in-
serted in order to remind us, that Christians should

VOL. I. N

178 ON THE COMMUNION OF SA|NTS.

be found united to each other in the closest bonds
of love.

The words of the text speak of this communion,
or fellowship of souls. And they also enlarge our
ideas of that communion, by teaching us to con-
sider it, not as confined to the righteous upon earth,
but as reaching to the Father of spirits, and to his
Son Jesus Christ. Indeed, the very foundation of
the communion of saints is the communion which
is first established with the Head of the Church,
the Author and Finisher of their faith. " That
which we have seen and heard declare we unto
you, that ye also may have fellowship with us ; and
truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with
his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we
unto you, that your joy may be full." The Apostle
here speaks of that which is the substance of the
preaching of the Gospel ; namely, the incarnation
of the Lord Jesus Christ. He had seen Him who
was manifested to the world; he had heard him
converse; he had touched him with his hands;
and this Lord of life, thus made man, he had de-
clared unto the disciples. The end of this preaching
of Christ was to unite believers together in him ;
to make them partakers of one common joy in
the Lord, and to cause them also to have fellow-
ship with the Father and with the Son. Before
there could be any real communion with each

ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. 179

other, it was necessary that they should be united
by one strong and common bond. This bond was
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. By faith in him
they were cleansed from their old sins ; they were
adopted into God's family, and became the sons
of God. By faith they were made partakers of
the influence of the Holy Ghost, and sealed with
the Spirit, which is the earnest of the possession
purchased by Christ. By faith they led a holy
life, " perfecting holiness in the fear of God." By
faith they all looked up to the same glorious hope
of their calling; even the joyful " inheritance of
the saints in light," in which they had a sure
expectation of being blessed, when this transitory
and evil life should be terminated. Thus their
communion arose out of a similarity of condition,
pursuits, and enjoyments. The subjects of one
state, the followers of one political party, the
individuals of one family, the members of one
society of friends, have fellowship with each other.
There is something similar in their views, man-
ners, interests, and pursuits ; and hence they have
much intercourse. Even so, the members of the
Church of Christ are united by sympathies of the
most endearing kind.

But when we speak of the saints as all members
of the same family, it is necessary that we consider
that family in its whole extent. It is not confined

n 2

180 ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS^

to the small circle of holy persons worshipping
together upon earth. These comprise but a very
small part. The whole, who are thus united in
Christ, form an assembly whose worth no tongue
can describe, and whose number no man can com-
pute. They are a vast body, composed not only \
of private Christians and of ministers now dwelling
together upon earth, but of all those faithful dis-
ciples of Christ who have ever lived upon it.
Confessors and martyrs, prophets and apostles,
priests and patriarchs, saints militant below and
spirits triumphant and made perfect above — all
these make but one family. They are distinct
branches of it ; severed, for a little while, by time
and space, but not separated by nature.

The family is to be considered as still more ample
than this. The angels of heaven, who are subject
to Christ, and employed by him as ministering
spirits to the heirs of salvation, may be justly con-
sidered as comprising a part of it ; for they worship
the same Lord, they are engaged in the same pur-
suits ; and therefore the Apostle speaks of them
as branches of the same family living under the
same Head.

Such is the family of God; into which Christ
has introduced us, giving to all who are in him,
access by " one spirit unto the Father." Over this
family the Father, the Son, and the Spirit preside ;

ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. 181

each of them in their several offices holding com-
munion with the members, and the members with
them.

1 . They have communion ox fellowship with God
the Father. — Truly, says the Apostle, " our fel-
lowship is with the Father." All communion is
reciprocal: God is the Father; the saints are
the sons. He is the original Author and Source of
all their grace and happiness. He bestowed upon
them the inestimable gift of a Saviour. He com-
municates to them grace : they, receiving that
grace, return to him the tribute of praise and
thanksgiving. He bestows life and spiritual facul-
ties : they use that life and employ those faculties
in glorifying his name and exalting his perfections.
He imparts to them of his love ; he sheds it abroad
in their hearts : they love him in return, and offer to
him the free-will offering of a grateful heart. They
hold communion with him, by their fervent prayers
before the Throne of Grace: and He vouchsafes
the grace they request, and the mercy they need.
This is their communion with the Father.

2. They have communion xvith the Son. " Our
fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son
Jesus Christ." — This union between Christ and
his members is of a very intimate nature, and is
the foundation of their union with each other.
They are one with each other, because they are

182 ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

one with him. He took upon him their nature,
became bone of their bone, and flesh of their flesh;
" being made in all respects like unto them, sin
only excepted." He bore their sins, and the
curse due to them ; and he communicates to them
of his Divine blessings and glory : and thus they
become " the righteousness of God in him." He
holds communion with his Church, and his Church
with him, by daily and stated ordinances ; by
means of which he conveys to them his grace. The
sacrament of the Lord's Supper is emphatically
the Communion of his Body and Blood. By
ministers also, and by the preaching of the word,
there is communion between the Head of the
Church and his members. As he is, so are we.
Because " he lives, we live also." We share in
his sufferings, in his grace, and in his glory. He
is the vine, and we are the branches.

3. But there is a communion also with the
Holy Spirit. — It is chiefly through the medium of
the Holy Spirit that the Communion of the Church
with the Father and the Son is maintained. It is
the office of the Spirit to dwell with the saints, to
abide with them, and to seal them to the day of
redemption. This doctrine is frequently declared
in Scripture. " If any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his." " If ye are sons, God
hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your

ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. 183

hearts, whereby we cry, Abba, Father!" The
Spirit dwelleth with the saints as in a temple:
" Know ye not," says the Apostle, " that ye are
the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you?" This union of the soul with
the Spirit of God is manifested and cherished, on
his part, by communicating to it holy desires; by
shedding upon it his sanctifying influences ; and
by the consequent production of heavenly light
and knowledge, and hope, and peace, and all spi-
ritual consolations. On our part, it is sustained
by meditation and prayer, by diligence in the use
of all the appointed ordinances, by cherishing the
blessed influences imparted to us, and by study-
ing to walk in all the commandments of our Lord
blameless ; for he has declared, " If any man
love me, and keep my commandments, my Father
will love him, and we will come to him, and make
our abode with him." Thus the whole body of
the faithful join together in communion with the
Father of spirits : all meet at the same Throne of
Grace ; the saints below, and the spirits made per-
fect above. They unite in one common feeling,
and join in one song of praise, u to Him that
sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb."

4. But further, there is a communion between
the saints in this world and the holy angels. — This
does not, indeed, consist in a visible intercourse ',

184 ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

but it is not less real on that account. The Apo-
stle, while describing the several branches of the
family of God, expressly says, li We are come to
an innumerable company of angels." Their in-
tercourse with us is abundantly testified by holy
writ. An angel foretold the death of John. An
angel communicated to the blessed Virgin the
glad tidings of a Saviour to be born. A whole
choir of angels appeared to the shepherds, and
sung glory to God, on account of the Redeemer's
birth. Angels announced his resurrection, and
shewed the place where his body had been laid.
Angels carried the soul of the holy but despised
Lazarus to Abraham's bosom. An angel opened
the door to Peter the Apostle, and thus delivered
him out of prison. Angels were made ministers
of prophecy to Daniel, and to the beloved John ;
and they were employed to bear the golden vials
full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints.
And it will be angels who shall sever the wicked
from the faithful at the resurrection of the just.
In short, the angels are " ministering spirits, sent
forth to minister to the heirs of salvation." They
are engaged in promoting the cause of Christ in
his Church, and are interested in the welfare of
his members : " There is joy in the presence of
the angels over one sinner that repenteth."

5, There is also a communion between the d if-

ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. 185

f event sai?its who live on earth, as well as between
them and those zvho have departed this life in the
faith and fear of God. — These last are still mem-
bers of the same family, removed into a different
part of the house of God. Death makes no change
of employments or affections. It only elevates and
.refines them.

With respect to the saints militant here on
earth, it is to be observed, that some kind of com-
munion subsists between 4111 the members of the
external church. They are partakers of the same
baptism; they make the same profession of faith;
they acknowledge the same principles of religion ;
they hear the same word preached ; they sit at the
same table, and partake of the same sacred ele-
ments of bread and wine. But these things are all
external : they are but signs or symbols of little
importance, while the spirit and grace they signify
are wanting. It is only among real Christians
that there can be true communion. And this con-
sists in several particulars, some of which I will
now proceed to specify.

The Church of Christ is dispersed through the
whole globe, separated by difference of language,
by disparity of rank, of age, and of circumstances.
But, as if actuated by one soul, they all engage in
the same pursuits: all make it their chief study to
serve and glorify God ; all daily bow their knees

186 ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS,

before God the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ;
all are occupied in reading and meditating on his
blessed Word ; all are seeking to have their evil
natures sanctified, and to " grow in grace and in
the knowledge of Jesus Christ" their common
Lord. These are their daily pursuits ; these the
works which they feel and avow to be of the first
importance. Thus they continue to be occupied,
jtill the day when their Lord calls them to join the
family of the redeemed above.

Nor is this communion confined to their occu*
pations. They share also in each other's joys j
"joys in which a stranger intermeddleth not." —
They mutually rejoice in Christ, in the honour paid
to his name, and in the increasing knowledge of his
religion. They rejoice when the light of God's
countenance is lifted up upon their souls, and their
joy they love to communicate. They rejoice in
the happiness and salvation of each other, no envy
dividing the brethren in Christ. Their consolations
are the same. The blessed Spirit reveals to all the
same truths, and communicates the same grace
to their souls.

There is, also, a communion of sorrows among the
saints. "If one member" of the mystical body of
Christ " suffers," the rest " suffer with it." — They
who are personally strangers, yet feel a brother's
interest in all who love God. They enter into their

ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. 187

trials, for they are their own : they feel for them,
while they behold them struggling with an evil
nature and a sinful world. Do they see them
affected with bodily pain ? They have more than a
stranger's compassion for them. Do they hear of
their lying upon a dying bed ? With the anxious
solicitude of brethren, they send up fervent prayer
on their behalf, and tenderly sympathize with them,
while engaged in the last struggle with the powers
of darkness and the body of sin.

Strong also and exquisite is the communion of
love between the brethren in Christ. — To what acts
of compassion does not the love of Christ incite
Christians ? To what labours of love does it not
stimulate them ? What candour, what good-will,
what readiness to oblige all who love their common
Lord, does not the sense of his dying love produce?
But, alas ! how frequently do the chilling frosts of
this cold and unfriendly climate check the growth
of this Divine charity. The discovery of hypo-
crisy, the frowning aspect of the world, the lethargic
state of some brethren, the declension or apostacy
of others, produce disastrous changes, and separate
those whom God had united. Still, however, the
members of the Church of Christ, in general, enjoy
an union which no ties of party, country, or even
kindred, could produce; and they look forward
with hope to the day when they shall love

188 ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS.

each other, even as they are now loved by their
God.

They enjoy, moreover, communion with each
other, by much actual intercourse and conver-
sation in the world. — They who have the same
pursuits, are engaged in the same design, and are
interested in the same cause, cannot be contented
to remain strangers to each other. They have a
communion of subjects upon which they can con-
verse ; subjects important as heaven, dear as eternal
life. To each other, therefore, they will often open
their hearts, and will take sweet counsel together.
They will relate their trials, and describe their
fears and hopes, with an interest which none except
themselves can feel.

They enjoy, lastly, communion with each other
in prayer. — Their hearts are opened before the
Throne of Grace; their affections are kindled at
the flame of the altar of God. Here, therefore,
in sweet fellowship, the many thousands of Israel
meet : here they offer up the same petitions; here
they plead for each other in fervent supplication ;
and, while they unite in adoration and interces-
sion, their affections are enlivened ; so that, like
the disciples at Emmaus, while holding communion
with their Lord, they say, " Did not our hearts
burn within us?" — or, with Peter on the Mount,
" It is good for us to be here," Thus, on this

ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. 189

holy clay, are all the servants of Christ in every
country, in every climate, of every denomination
and sect, however separated by distance or by
varying modes of worship, united before the
Throne of Grace in offering up the same devout
supplications, and the same animated praises.

Such, then, is the fellowship to which the Apo-
stle in my text invited the disciples to whom he
ttrote. Such, also, is the fellowship to which we
are cfciled. Here, let us each say to our souls —
" What is thy state, and with whom dost thou
hold communion ? Is it with men of a worldly
spirit? Dost thou rejoice only in their pleasures,
grieve only in their sorrows, engage only in their
employments ? Then, thou art of the world,
even as they are of the world. But happy indeed
art thou, if thou canst say, ' My delight is with
the saints that are upon the earth, and with such
as excel in virtue : ' my communion is with the
Father of spirits, and with his Son Jesus Christ
my Redeemer, and with the angels above. I am
also joined with the whole church of the faithful
below : I am occupied in the same work, I pos-
sess the same comforts, I am warmed with the
same love. I feel a brother's sympathy with the
members of Christ. My soul unites itself to
them when I approach the Throne of Grace, and
my heart burns within me while I converse with
them upon the things of God." — My " brethren

190 ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS*.

in Christ," such will be our feelings if we are
actuated by the Spirit of God.

Numerous are the inferences suggested by this
subject. I shall briefly touch on some of them. —
In the first place, it suggests to us the necessity of
being separate from the world, and of becoming " a
holy and peculiar people, zealous of good works."
The light of Divine Truth, and the holiness flowing
from it, alone lead to that fellowship with God,
and with each other, which has been described.
" If we walk in the light, as God is in the light,
we have fellowship with each other." But " if
we say we have fellowship with Him, and walk
in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." For
what fellowship hath righteousness with unrigh-
teousness, light with darkness ? There can be no
communion where there is no similitude. Com-
munion arises from a similarity of disposition and
pursuits.

Let this subject also be employed to excite our
thankful acknowledgments. What are we, that
we should be admitted to fellowship with God?
Oh, how glorious is the ''hope of our calling!"
Let this hope support us amidst the trials of the
world, and against the loss of friends, which the
devout pursuit of religion may sometimes produce.
Is it not enough that we are joined in fellowship
with angels and archangels, with the glorious com-

ON THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. 191

pany of the apostles, the noble army of martyrs,
the goodly fellowship of the prophets, the holy
church universal? Such a communion should fill
us with lofty ideas and feelings: the heirs of heaven
should not suffer their minds to be grovelling upon
earth, or their hearts to be carried away with
the love of a polluted world. " Let our light
shine before men." Let us live as those who have
" fellowship with the Father, and with his Son
Jesus Christ."

Let the subject inspire affection also towards
real Christians. " Let our love be without dissi-
mulation." Let us shew candour to the followers
of the same Master. Are we not brethren, and
shall we make each other offenders for a word ?
Shall those for whom Christ died be unwilling to
exercise kindness to each other? Shall those, who
are fellow- heirs of the same promise, live as if
they were strangers here ? Oh let us, for Christ's
sake, overlook our petty differences! Let the love
of Christ be the central point in which we meet.
Let it be employed to cement love between
Christian brethren. Let us cultivate a sympa-
thizing spirit. Let us abound in all the sympathies
of love, in works of charity, in acts of pity and
kindness for each other. Thus shall we shew that
we really have fellowship with Christ ; thus shall
we approve ourselves to be bis disciples.

192

SERMON XII.

ON COMMUNION WITH THE ANGELS.

Hebrews xii. 22.

Ye are come to an innumerable company of

angels,

IT appears to have been a favourite practice with
St. Paul, to display to the disciples the privileges
and happiness which belong to the state of a
real Christian. He felt that happiness, and he
enjoyed those privileges, in so great a degree
himself, that he earnestly desired others to be
made partakers of them. He accordingly gives,
in the passage from which my text is taken, a
striking view of the superiority of Christian pri-
vileges to those of the Jewish Church. " Ye"
Christians, he says, " are not come unto the
Mount that might be touched, and that burned
with fire; nor unto blackness, and darkness, and
tempest" — things calculated only to fill the mind

ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS. 193

with terror and dismay; " but ye are come unto
Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God,
the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company of angels ; to the general assembly and
church of the first-born, which are written in
heaven ; and to God the Judge of all ; and to the
spirits of just men made perfect; and to Jesus the
Mediator of the New Covenant; and to the blood
of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than
that of Abel." Such is the society into which
you are introduced, — such are the privileges you
are called to enjoy.

Amongst the different members of this glorious
assembly, into whose society and communion we
are invited, we find mention made of " an innu-
merable company of angels " This may justly
lead us to consider as well their nature, as the
relation to them into which we are brought by
the Gospel-dispensation. It is not, however, as a
matter of curiosity, or subject of speculation, that I
propose this subject to you ; for it is to improvement
alone that this day and this place are consecrated.
Neither should we give the reins to a fanciful
imagination, in considering a subject with which
our acquaintance is necessarily so limited. On
the contrary, we should, with due modesty and
humility, adhere to the word of God, and be con-
tent with the information it supplies.

vol. i. o

194 ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS,

I do not, therefore, attempt to investigate or
display the nature of angels. Of the manner in
which unembodied spirits exist, we can perhaps
at present form no conception. Suffice it to say,
that the Scriptures represent the good angels as
bright and glorious spirits, who have kept their
original state of holiness and happiness, and who
delight to employ all the powers with which God
has endowed them in fulfilling his will and pro-
moting his glory. Without entering, therefore,
into any further explanation of their nature, let
me, in the first instance, direct your attention to
their number.

It is here said, " Ye are come to an innumera-
ble company of angels." — We find, in the prophet
Daniel, a magnificent account given of the angels
standing round the Throne of God. " I beheld,"
says he, describing his vision, " till the thrones
were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit,
whose garment was white as snow, and the hair
of his head like pure wool : his throne was like
the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire ; —
a fiery stream issued and came forth from him ; — ■
thousand thousands ministered to him, and ten
thousand times ten thousand stood before him."
Such is the number of the attendants of the
Divine Majesty, that language fails in its power
to express it. We need remark only, that their^

ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS. 195

number is worthy of the majesty of Him whose
glory as much exceeds all created glory as his
nature surpasses ours. David labours, in like
manner, to give us an idea of the number of angels.
" The chariots of God," he says, " are twenty
thousand, even thousands of angels." And the
beloved disciple St. John, when favoured with a
view of heaven, endeavours in vain to express the
number of angelic beings with which its spacious
courts were rilled. " I beheld," he says, " and
I heard the voice of many angels round about
the Throne ; and the number of them was ten
thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of
thousands."

These passages of Scripture are sufficient to
shew that the company of angels is innumerable.
Nor indeed should we be surprised at this, when
we consider the nature of heaven, the place of
their habitation. Heaven is the perfection of
the creation of God. It is the grand scene of
existence; the court where God himself is said
to hold his residence. This world can be con-
sidered only as a minute part of his works, and
ourselves as creatures comparatively of a low
class. The inhabitants of the world " come up
and are cut down like a flower;" but the inhabi-
tants of heaven never die. This world itself ia
n't a transitory scene; a stage erected for a littl«
o %

196 ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS,

while; but heaven endureth for ever. Surely
then, considering the majesty of heaven, it might
be expected that these glorious beings, whose
powers and capacities, and whose duration of ex-
istence, are so infinitely superior to those of man,
should also be as much superior in number to
the inhabitants of this mere point in the dominions
of God.

And here allow me to draw an inference from
this statement. — Be encouraged, you who are en-
deavouring to serve God in this evil world, from
the consideration of the number of the angelic
beings. It is indeed painful to behold the world
around you lying in a state of ignorance and
wickedness; to behold so few examples of zeal
for God, and ardent love to his name ; of dis-
interested charity ; of unblemished righteousness.
Often, perhaps, are you tempted to cry out with
Elijah, " lam left alone in the earth." Often,
with painful but necessary singularity, are you
obliged to dissent from the practice of the world,
and to say, " As for me and my house, we will
serve the Lord." But be not disheartened by
the melancholy examples which crowd around
you. If your eyes were opened, like those of the
servant of Elisha, you would see that " there are
more with you than against you." No : you
who serve God faithfully and delight to do his

ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS. 197

will, you are not the few among his creatures.
You are not singular, whatever the surrounding
scene may seem to suggest Those are singular
among- the works of God, who neglect and despise
their Creator ; who are living in rebellion against
his will, and have shaken off the yoke of the
Divine Government: — those, as you will dis-
cover in the day when you shall be permitted to
behold God " face to face ;*' those are the few,
those are the anomalous and monstrous parts of
the creation. You, who are sincere Christians,
shall be numbered with " an innumerable com-
pany,"— united to those who are as countless as
the sands of the sea ; those holy and happy
spirits who have ever loved and served their God.
Let us then look up from this evil world to the
" innumerable company of angels." We, if
Christians indeed, are " come" to them ; — a rela-
tion has commenced between them and the " saints
which are in Christ Jesus." We, who were
" once afar off, are brought nigh to them." We,
who were separated from them, are now united
to them. We may consider ourselves as having
" come to" this " innumerable company," as our

FRIENDS as MINISTERING SPIRITS — as EX-
AMPLES— and as eternal associates. Let
us examine these four points in succession.

198 ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELSV

I. In the first place, then, we have come to
them as friends.

Originally, angels and men were as one
family. They were the creatures of the same
Lord, and partakers of the same nature. I There
existed between them a community of inte-^
rests, a similarity of dispositions ; and there-
fore these " bright morning stars sang together,
and the sons of God shouted for joy," when the
foundations of the earth, the habitation of man,
were laid. But, by sin, the bond of union was
broken. Then angels became the ministers of
God's vengeance against man. It was an angel
who " went through the land of Egypt, and smote
the first-born in every house, that he died." It
was an angel who brought the pestilence upon
Judea for three days, and who lifted up his sword
against Jerusalem to destroy it. It was an angel
who went into " the camp of the Assyrians, and slew
in one night one hundred and seventy-five thousand
men." It was an angel who smote Herod, while
seated upon his throne, and impiously permitting
the honour to be paid to him which belongeth only
to God. — We find angels also employed to sound
the trumpets of God's vengeance, and to pour out
the vials of wrath upon a guilty land. Thus angels
are employed as the scourges of guilty and im-
penitent man. But Christians are, by virtue of

ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS. 199

their union with Christ, re-united to the angels
as friends. Thus Christ is described as having
incorporated them into " one family." It was
the " good pleasure of God, which he purposed
in himself, to gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven and which are
in earth." Into what a noble family, therefore,
are we, if really united to Christ, incorporated !
To what a society are we united ! To "Jesus, the
Mediator," and to " an innumerable company of
angels!" O ! ye who are " poor in this world,"
but are " rich in faith, heirs" of the promises,
look to the greatness of your inheritance, and to
the dignity of your birth-right in Christ. What,
though you may be poor and despised, yet if
" heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ," if the
angels are your friends, have you cause to com-
plain r The angels regard no earthly distinctions ;
they consider only the love you bear to Christ.
They measure your value, not by your interest in
the fading possessions of this world ; not uy the
pomp you display, or by the raiment you pu on ;
but by your love to God, and by his love to you.

II. But we are not come to the angels asfritnds
only : they are also " ministering spirits, sent
to minister to the heirs of salvation."

To call the angels our friends, is a privilege and

200 ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS.

dignity which every humble person will justly
esteem too great for such a sinful and corrupt being
as man. But as their friendship with man springs
not from our intrinsic merit, but from the love
they bear to the Author of our creation, and from
the elevation of a nature at once commanding
admiration and destitute of pride ; so this love of
God, and this elevation of nature, dispose them
to every employment by which God may be ho-
noured, and man be blessed : therefore are they
ministering servants to the heirs of salvation. —
Thus, in order to intimate the perpetual inter-
course between heaven and earth, a " ladder was
displayed to the Patriarch Jacob, reaching from
the one to the other," and the " angels of God
ascending and descending" upon it. Thus, also,
when overwhelmed with fear of the power and
indignation of Esau, whose approach he expected,
was Jacob comforted by God with a vision of
heavenly troops commissioned to protect him.
" And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of
God met him : and when Jacob saw them he said,
This is God's host; and he called the name of
that place Mahanaim," or the two armies. — Thus
we find them often appearing, and still oftener
ministering, to the servants of God in the various
trials and distresses to which they Mere exposed.
It was an angel who brought to Elisha bread in

ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS. QOl

the wilderness, that he might be strengthened for
his journey. An angel appeared to Gideon, to
strengthen him, and to give him assurance of vic-
tory. An angel appeared unto Zechariah, when
ministering before the altar, to announce to him
the birth of the illustrious forerunner of the Mes-
siah. It was an angel who shewed to the Pro-
phets Daniel and Zechariah, and to the Apostle
John, the " things which should come upon the
earth." An angel delivered Peter out of prison,
and broke the chains with which he was bound.
The angels carried the soul of Lazarus, when he
died, into Abraham's bosom. An angel stood
by Paul, to comfort him when about to be ship-
wrecked, and to declare to him that no harm
should befal him or the persons with him. The
angels are said to take charge of the servant of
God, " lest at any time he should dash his foot
against a stone." The angels also are employed
as instruments in the hand of God, to defend the
true Christian from Satan, and to defeat his evil
machinations against the Church.

What encouraging views does this representa-
tion open to us ! How, in the midst of perils or
in the depths of solitudes, may we comfort our-
selves with the idea of being surrounded by the
heavenly host ! What confidence may we place
in their protection, if only we fear and serve God!

202 ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS?;

Oh ! when shall we duly estimate the blessings
which accompany the Divine favour.

III. But I go on to consider the angels in ano-
ther point of view. We may be said to have come
to them as our models or examples.

" Wherein/' it may be asked, " can they be ex-
amples to us ? When we propose a model to our-
selves to imitate, we take one like ourselves, who
has the same object to pursue, and the same diffi-
culties to overcome." Now, it is true, that be-
tween the angels and ourselves there is an infinite
distance : yet, in many points, such a degree of
correspondence prevails, that we may justly pro-
pose them as objects of our imitation. They are,
for instance, examples to us in the objects of their
contemplation, in their adoration of God, in the
harmony they display, in the love they feel, and
in the obedience they render to the Divine com-
mand. Let us briefly regard these blessed spirits
in each of these points of view.

I. First, then, consider the object of their con-
templation.— Doubtless, the knowledge of beings,
whose powers are so transcendant, must be various
and extensive ; extending, perhaps, to subjects
of which we can form no conception. But it is
remarkable, that they are not held up to our view
as exploring the depths of science, but as search-

ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS. 203

iug into the counsels of Divine love. The my-
stery of Redemption occupies their attention. The
sufferings of Christ, and the riches of his grace,
they contemplate with rapture : " That now,"
says the Apostle, " unto the principalities and
powers in heavenly places might be known by
the Church the manifold wisdom of God." And
again, speaking of the prophecies which had been
delivered of the grace of Christ, he adds, " which
things the angels desire to look into." Thus also
are the cherubim represented in the temple as
stooping over the Mercy-seat, astonished at the
grace of God manifested to man, and adoring the
great Author of it. In this employment, then,
let us imitate the angels. Can we have a nobler
object of contemplation than theirs ? Can we
exhaust that glorious subject which instructs and
amazes even them ? Here is a subject really
sublime and profound, fit to exercise the noblest
faculties of the mind — the mercy, the love, the
wisdom, the power of God, displayed in the
great mystery of Redemption. Let us be ashamed
to feel so little interested in contemplations, in
which it is the highest dignity of angels to be
engaged.

2. Next, The angels may be considered as our
examples, in their adoration of God. — Man wor-
ships God, and so also do the angels of God : and

£04 ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGEis,

how do they worship him ? Is it a faint and lan-
guid, a cold and formal adoration which they offer
up when the host of heaven fall prostrate before
the Throne, and cry with a loud voice, " Salvation,
and glory, and honour, be unto Him that sitteth
on the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and
ever?" If, then, we would learn how to adore
God, let us consider their worship. In them we
see perfect knowledge combined with perfect love,
bending and stimulating every faculty of the soul
to offer up a spiritual sacrifice worthy of the great
Being to whom it is offered.

S. Again : The angels are examples also in
harmony. — Could we look into heaven, we should
see but one will, and, as it were, but one soul,
pervading the multitude of the heavenly host*
The united song of the seraphim was, " Holy,
holy, holy, is the Lord God of hosts : heaven and
earth are full of his glory." On earth we meet
together, it is true, in the house of God ; we
kneel at the same moment, we rise together, we
listen together to the word of God: but we agree,
perhaps, only in these outward circumstances.
In the ears of the Lord of hosts, our melody is
often discord ; for he looks at the heart, and there
he beholds corrupt imaginations, earthly affec-
tions, wandering thoughts, unhallowed passions,
polluting the service, and jarring with the offer-

ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS. 205

sng of our lips. But in heaven, as voice answers
to voice, so the will meets the will, affections
mingle with affections, hearts unite with hearts.
All is concord, all harmony ; and, as if it were the
offering of one instead of myriads of spirits, the
worship is one unbroken sacrifice and one unin-
terrupted song.

4. Next, They are models also in their love
to God. — How little soever the great Ruler of the
universe may be honoured and beloved upon earth,
there is no want of love to him in the courts above.
Those blessed spirits know not a cold and luke-
warm regard to their Creator and Benefactor.
They love him, as zve ought, with all their heart,
and soul, and strength. Such is the ardour with
which their affections kindle and ascend to God,
that they are compared to "flames of fire;" —
" who maketh his angels spirits, and his mini-
sters a flame of fire." They are as " flames of
fire," in the ardour and promptitude of their
affections.

5. Thus also they are our models in obedience.
— Our Lord himself has in this respect proposed
them as examples to us, when he teaches us to pray
that God's " will may be done on earth, as it is by
the angels of heaven." In what manner, then, do
they perform it ? I answer, Constantly, readily,
universally, cheerfully. They have no choice,

206 ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS.

no will of their own. They choose the will of God.
They alike obey and rejoice, whether they be sent
to direct the affairs of an empire, or to bring a
meal to Elijah in the desert. It is not the employ-
ment, but the Governor who appoints it, to whom
they bear respect.

Thus, then, my brethren, you see what noble
examples you are taught to propose to yourselves.
Lift your eyes above the frail children of men
around you. If you take the measure of your
duty from the worms of the earth, who are as
corrupt, as ignorant, as sordid as yourself, your
conceptions must be gross, your practice low, your
ideas of holiness itself mean and base : therefore
raise your thoughts to another world, and behold
its blessed inhabitants. These are displayed to
you as examples by God himself. They are also
placed before you as your associates for ever.

IV. But this brings me to the last head; in
which I am to shew, that real Christians are come
to the innumerable company of angels, as to their

ASSOCIATES.

Here, upon earth, the Christian is an asso-
ciate with angels by faith, by hope, by com-
munion, by anticipation. But hereafter we, if
we be indeed Christians, shall be more intimately
united to them. They now rejoice in our pcni-

ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS. 207

tence, because they see another name written in
heaven. They anxiously await the hour of our
death, that they may see another soul enter into
glory; — with them, so bright, so glorious, so
excellent, has it pleased God of his infinite mercy
to fix our eternal habitation. Oh, blessed society,
from which all envy, and pride, and anger, and
emulation, and strife, shall be for ever excluded!
where there will be but one employment, one
spirit, one heart, one object, — the glory of our
Father and their Father, of our God and their
God!

There is one reflection with which I beg to close
these observations. How awful is the thought,
that every person, who now hears me, is united
either to the devils or to the angels ! To the
eye of sense, we seem to be all mingled together
in one body ; but, if the veil which conceals the
invisible world were removed, we should discover
a distinction as clear as will appear when the
angels shall separate the wicked and the righ-
teous. God and Satan divide the world. Each
has his angels subordinate to him. The " god of
this world," emphatically and awfully so styled,
on account of the number of subjects he at
present possesses, " rules in the children of diso-
bedience" by his evil spirits; while God sends his

208 ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS.

" angels to minister to them that are the heirs
of salvation." And, according to the success
of the good and evil angels, in moulding their
respective charges to their own nature and cha-
racter, the objects of their respective superin-
tendance will rejoice with angels, or suffer with
devils for ever. Thou, therefore, who openest thy
mouth in blasphemy and cursing against God ;
thou who endeavourest to subvert the government
Of God, and to loosen the grasp which the obli-
gations of his truth have upon the mind ; thou
who tramplest upon his laws ; thou who slightest
the ordinances of his grace, the worship of God,
and the word of God : — is it not evident to whom
thou art united ? Art thou not doing the work
of devils ? Art thou not already associated with
them? Art thou not " treasuring up for thyself
\vrath against the day of wrath ? " Oh, let me
conjure you to pause, to consider, to repent!
Even for you there is hope. Behold the glorious
company of angels. They desire to receive you :
they stretch forth their hands to you. In their
holy zeal to reclaim the wicked, and to enlarge
their blessed society, they carry the everlasting
Gospel to all nations. Will you renounce them,
to have fellowship with devils ? Oh, turn to God,
that you may be added to this innumerable com-
pany ! And you who, through Jesus Christ, are

ON OUR COMMUNION WITH ANGELS. 209

thus united to and associated with angels, see that
you do the work of angels. Be conformed to them
in your tempers and views. Live like them here,
as the best, the only, preparation for an eternal
residence and communion with them hereafter. In
the contemplation of this glorious prospect, who
shall not adopt the exclamation of the Psalmist ?
" Bless the Lord, ye his angels that excel in
strength, that do his commandments, hearkening
unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord,
all ye his host ; ye ministers of his that do his
pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works, in all
places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my
soul."

VOL. I.

210

SERMON XIII.

ON THE EFFECT OF SEEING GOD AS HE IS.

1 john iii. 2.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God: and it doth
not yet appear what we shall be ; but we know,
that when he shall appear, we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.

WHOEVER entertains a proper view of the
nature of this life, the miseries to which it is sub-
ject, and the corruptions with which it is defiled,
will frequently be looking forward towards another
state of existence with anxious curiosity and hum-
ble hope, and will often meditate upon the partial
discoveries and obscure intimations which the
Scriptures afford concerning the nature of that
state. Partial and obscure as they are, they
serve, however, to convey some important lessons
of instruction to us with respect to our duty in the

ON SEEING GOD AS HE IS. 211

present life. They reflect a light by which its true
character and condition are more distinctly traced ;
and thus render our researches into the mysteries
of the future world, while made under the guidance
of Revelation, a source not of useless gratification
to curiosity, but of real and practical improvement.
It is in this view that the passage of Scripture
contained in the text has been selected. It gives
a glimpse of the eternal state, and presents a very
striking idea, which it will be edifying to pursue
and to develop.

" Behold, what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the
sons of God." " Beloved, now," in this fallen
and sinful world, " are we the sons of God." —
God considers us as his sons, having adopted us
into his family, sent his Son to become our Re-
deemer, and his Spirit to sanctify us, and having
also given to us matfjfc great and valuable privi-
leges denoting our adoption. " And it doth not
yet appear what we shall be." The nature of the
glory which we shall hereafter possess, in conse-
quence of so high a title, is not yet clearly re-
vealed ; but this we know, that when Christ shall
be manifested in his glory, and take us to himself,
" tee shall be like him, for zve shall see him as he
is" It is this last clause, which contains the
striking idea to which I have alluded. It seems

p 2

212 ON THE EFFECT OF

to intimate, that the glory which we shall enjoy in
the kingdom of Christ, will consist in a perfect
resemblance to Christ ; and it leads us to con-
sider, as the means of our attaining that glory,
the contemplation of our Saviour " as he is."
By this full and distinct view of the glory of
our blessed Lord, we shall be transformed into
the same image from glory to glory. It is also
evidently implied in these words, that though hi
heaven we shall see God " as he is," yet we have
not that view of him in the present life. They
present, therefore, to the mind four distinct points
of consideration.

I. That in this world we do not see God as
he is.

II. That in heaven we shall see him as he is.

III. That this view of the Divine Being will
have a transforming efficacy to make us resemble
him. And,

IV. That the glory and happiness of heaven
will consist in our being thus conformed to the
image of God.

I. In this life, then, we do not see God as he
is. — In propriety, it cannot be said that in this
world we see God at all. We see his works, but
we do not see Him. We behold no embodied
or personal Divinity. There are instances, how-

SEEING GOD AS HE IS. 213

ever, in which He has been even thus visible to
human eyes. Though we know and are assured
by the clearest demonstration of reason, that God
is every where and at all times present with us,
it will still be found, that no proofs of this kind,
however strong, will produce on the mind of man,
as at present constituted, the full effect of sen-
sible appearances ; and it is, perhaps, on this
account, that although God has no visible form
permanently appropriate to him, he has yet been
pleased, on some particular occasions, in conde-
scension to human infirmity, to make himself
perceptible to the bodily senses of his creatures.
Thus he revealed himself to Moses, first, as a
flame of fire in the midst of a bush. Afterwards,
he passed by him, and manifested to him a part
of his glory, as he stood in the cleft of the rock.
It was, indeed, only a partial and transient view ;
" for no man," said God, " can see my face," my
full glory, " and live." A similar manifestation
was afterwards made to the Israelites on Mount
Sinai ; not indeed in any distinct shape ; but
" the mountain was seen as if to burn with fire,
and there were thunderings and lightnings and
earthquakes." Thus, also, were visible tokens
of the Divine Presence exhibited to the Prophet
Elijah: " Behold, the Lord passed by; and a
great and strong wind rent the mountains, and

214 ON THE EFFECT OF

brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the
Lord was not in the wind ; and after the wind
an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the
earthquake ; and after the earthquake a fire, but
the Lord was not in the fire ; and after the fire
a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah
heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle,
and went out, and stood in the entering in of the
cave." The Shekinah in the temple displayed a
permanent symbol of the Deity ; a luminous glory
first filling the whole temple at its dedication, so
that the priests could not bear to remain in it, and
afterwards continuing to occupy the space within
the veil which concealed the Holy of Holies, To
Isaiah God manifested himself in a vision ; and
he " saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and
lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above
it stood the seraphim. Each had six u ings : with
twain he covered his face, and with twain he
covered his feet, and with twain he did fly ; and
one cried unto another and said, Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord of hosts : the whole earth is full of
his glory. And the posts of the door moved at
the voice of him that cried ; and the house was
filled with smoke." Without dwelling on the
manner in which God was pleased to give an
actual view or impression of himself to Daniel,
to St. John, and to others, it is proved by the

SEEING GOD AS HE IS. 215

instances already adduced, that though God is
properly invisible, and always equally diffused
throughout all space, he may yet sometimes con-
centrate the radiance of his power and glory, and
give such visible indications of his immediate
presence, that he may be said without impro-
priety to be seen. But these are rare excep-
tions from the ordinary course of events, and do
not militate against the general truth of our first
proposition, that in this world we do not see God
as he is.

And this is true, not only of the person but
of the attributes of God : even the most obvious
perfections of the Deity, his power and wisdom,
are not so conspicuously revealed in the present
state of existence as to be immediately compre-
hended in their full dimensions. This is partly
owing to the imperfection of the human faculties.
The dimness of man's intellectual vision is such,
that he cannot clearly or steadily discern the
Divine Attributes. Thus though " the heavens
declare the glory of God, and the firmament
sheweth his handy work," it yet requires a mind
gifted with more than natural powers to perceive
the full glory of the Creator displayed in the moon
and stars ; in the magnitude of their size, in the
velocity of their motions, in the harmony of their
order. We see only the surface of nature's

216 ON THE EFFECT OF

wonders, and can often form but the most in-
adequate notions of the interior and more admi-
rable mechanism, which we are not permitted to
explore. Not only, however, are our faculties
inadequate to the full comprehension of the works
of God, as exhibited in this world, but these are
themselves of a lower order, and intended only
for a temporary duration. Even the heavenly
bodies, brightly as they display the glory of God,
are made to continue only for a short period ;
for ere long these heavens themselves shall be
consumed, and u the elements shall melt with
fervent heat."

But it is important in this view to remark,
that the state in which we live is a state of sin
and defilement; and, therefore, every thing we
behold is under a curse. The great Creator has
yielded to merited degradation the world which
he once pronounced to be very good. We behold
inscribed on it every where the characters of im-
perfection; the display of justice as well as of
mercy ; the marks of anger as well as of goodness.
Evil is suffered to blend itself with the works of
Divine Benevolence, to tarnish their glory and
obscure their excellence. The character, in which
God appears to us, is one suited to our state as
fallen sinners. Here he is a Judge, administering
correction, and punishing the guilty. He has re-

SEEING COD AS HE IS. 217

served for another world the full display of his
benignity and love. Neither personally, there-
fore, nor in his moral attributes, can we be said
to " see God as he is."

II. But, secondly, in heaven we shall see him
as he is. — This implies two things; first, That our
own faculties will be sufficiently enlarged to take
a proper view of his glory and perfections; and
secondly, That these will be exhibited to us in a
clear and comprehensive light.

1. There must be an enlargement of our minds
— an expansion of our faculties — before we can
fully understand the glory of God, even when it
is displayed to our view. It is not sufficient that
the object should be set before us, unless, on our
parts, we possess the seeing eye and the under-
standing heart. The ox and the horse behold
the wonders of creation, but cannot recognize
in them the hand of the Creator ; and were we
translated to heaven itself, with our present facul-
ties and views, however we might stand asto-
nished at the exterior splendour of that dazzling
scene, we should perhaps be little able to appre-
ciate its less obvious, but more sublime, glories.
But ere that blessed period shall arrive, we shall
receive faculties suitable to our new state of ex-
istence, and to the enjoyment of that happiness

218 ON THE EFFECT OF

by which we shall be there surrounded. The
grossness of corporeal senses will no longer
form the medium of perception. It will proba-
bly be conveyed in a far clearer and more direct
mode, somewhat corresponding to our idea of
intuition ; so that even the same object may
then give impressions infinitely more luminous
and comprehensive than we now derive from it.
But to whatever elevation the several faculties
of our minds may then be raised, it is in their
freedom from pollution and imperfection that
their most important improvement will consist.
It is the corruption of our nature, which in this
world prevents our more distinct apprehension
of the glory of God. By sin, the understanding
is darkened, the mind rendered frivolous and fool-
ish, the attention diverted from grand and sublime
objects to the most insignificant trifles, the relish
for moral excellence, and the perception of the
beauty of holiness, impaired. By sin, the affections
are become base, earthly, sordid : a proneness is
acquired to relish evil rather than good, to con-
template what is gross and carnal rather than
what is pure and spiritual. We have neither the
power nor the inclination to turn our view from
the objects of time and sense, and to fix it on
the less intelligible, and to us less interesting,
concerns of the eternal world. But in heaven

SEEING GOD AS HE IS. 219

the mind will be for ever freed from these dis-
orders : it will be attracted at once by pure and
spiritual subjects, and be led with stedfast atten-
tion, and unwearied pleasure, to contemplate the
perfection of what is holy, great, and excellent.
Nor is it only by the elevation of our mental
faculties that our knowledge of God will then
ibe promoted, but by the removal also of those
external impediments which at present retard the
progress of that knowledge. In this world, our
investigation of spiritual subjects is perpetually
interrupted by the intervention of temporal con-
cerns : but in heaven, no anxious cares about a
subsistence will call back our thoughts ; no dis-
tressing association of painful remembrances w ill
distract us ; no temptations of Satan, the world,
or the flesh, will harass our minds, or break the
chain of our meditations. All without and within
will correspond, and will unite to facilitate the
acquisition of that Divine knowledge, which (as
we have reason to think) will be at once our chief
occupation and our highest enjoyment.

2. But further, as our capacity of knowing
God will in heaven be enlarged, so his works will
there more clearly manifest his glorious attri-
butes. That state of imperfection, which here,
in some degree, veils, and even disguises, their
proper character, will then be removed. The

220 ON THE EFFECT OF

Divine wisdom, holiness, and benevolence will be
displayed on every side in all their glory and
brightness. They will demand instant admi-
ration, and gratitude, and love. They will no
more need comment, or explanation, or proof,
than the existence of light, when the sun shines
in meridian splendour. And as, in the future
state, the works of God will thus more fully
magnify him, so his presence will then be pe-
culiarly manifested by such a display of visible
glory, as is not at present granted to the eye of
man. The city of God has " no need of the
sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the
glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the
light thereof." " And there shall be no night
there : and they need no candle, neither light of
the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light."
A more expressive and glorious idea cannot be
presented. Here we are illuminated by the light
of the sun ; but the Lord God himself will be
the Sun of that place, and his rays will fill every
part with glory, as he originally did the temple,
when the priests could not stand before its daz-
zling lustre. We shall, therefore, see and feel,
that " in him we shall live, and move, and have
our being." We shall rejoice in his presence,
and in his light we shall see light. But this con-
spicuous revelation of the presence and glory of

SEEING GOD AS HE IS. 221

God will particularly be displayed in Jesus Christ.
In him the perfection and glory of the invisible
God are embodied and rendered visible to man.
He is his beloved Son, " the brightness of his glory,
and the express image of his person :" and so full
and perfect is his identity with the Father, that,
according to his own representation, he that hath
seen the Son hath seen the Father also. The
Son was the visible display of the Father's glory
even in this world. He came among us " the
true licrht which lighteneth every man that cometh
into the world." And " the Word was made flesh :"
and " we beheld," says the Apostle, " his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth." It is to him that
the Apostle particularly alludes in the text:
" When he shall appear." This term is not used
of the Father, but is employed to express the
second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, with
ten thousand of his saints and angels, to take his
people to dwell with him for ever, and to execute
vengeance on those that know not God. Hence
the Apostle, in his view of heaven, after saying
that " the glory of God doth lighten it," adds,
" and the Lamb is the light thereof." And when
Isaiah beheld the Lord of hosts sitting upon his
throne of glory, we are assured by the Apostle
that this was the Lord Jesus Christ, who is King

222 ON THE EFFECT OF

of kings and Lord of lords ; and when John beheld
the hosts of heaven falling down before the Throne
and worshipping. " Behold," saith he, " I heard
the voice of many angels round about the Throne,
and the beasts, and the elders ; and the number of
them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice ;
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honour, and glory, and blessing." This then
will be the illustrious proof of the immediate
presence of God : these will be the glorious means
by which we shall see him as he is. " No man
hath seen God at any time. The only-begotten
Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he
hath declared him."

III. It was proposed, in the third place,
to shew, that this view of the Divine Being wilf
have a transforming efficacy to make us resemble
him. " We know we shall be like him, for we
shall see him as he is." It is scarcely necessary
to observe, that there is an allusion here to the
case of Moses, who, when he was favoured only
with a glance of the Deity, received so much him-
self of the glory which he beheld, that the Israelites
could not look upon him ; or rather, perhaps, we
may say, that this occurrence was intended as an

SEEING GOD AS HE IS. 223

apt type and illustration of the manner in which
we shall hereafter receive glory ourselves from the
contemplation of the blessed God. It is a general
law throughout the creation, that every thing great
and good is derived from God. All wisdom,
power, and goodness are but the reflection of the
same qualities in him. And therefore it is very
conceivable, that in heaven, where the communi-
cation between the Creator and his creatures is
more direct and express than it can be here, the
Divine glory may also be attended with a trans-
forming efficacy of a more signal and immediate
kind. Of the properties of the Deity, there are
some indeed which seem absolutely incommu-
nicable to man, such as his eternal existence ; but
there are others, of which we shall doubtless be in
some degree susceptible. What portion he may
please to impart of his wisdom and power we
can but very imperfectly conjecture ; but that we
shall derive from the view of him as he is, a con-
siderable resemblance in all moral excellences,
there can be no question. The analogy of the
present state of existence demonstrates, that in
all example, whether good or evil, there is an
assimilating efficacy ; and there can be no doubt,
if we extend the analogy still further, if we were
condemned to dwell in the regions of outer dark-
ness with Satan and the infernal spirits, exposed

224 ON THE EFFECT OF

to the view of perpetual malignity and deceit,
vve too should become malignant and deceitful.
Assailed with rage and execration, our passions
too would be kindled ; and where we were hated,
we should soon learn to hate in our turn. — But
not to pursue further this awful contrast, let us
suppose ourselves, placed in those blessed regions,
where the mercy and love of God shall surround
us on every side with inexhaustible profusion.
In those regions of eternal tranquillity, should not
our souls possess an unruffled calm ? Seeing
nothing oh every side but happiness, could we
fail to be happy ? Or could we behold the triumph
of eternal love, without loving also in return ?
Where all were endeavouring to increase our hap-
piness, would not our hearts surely burn with a gene-
ral glow of gratitude ? Where all were wise; should
we not learn wisdom ? Where the beauty of holi-
ness was every where diffused, could we be other-
wise than holy ? Thus there will necessarily be a
general tendency in heaven towards a continual
increase of peace, happiness, love, wisdom, and
holiness. Christ will communicate to all his
servants, and they to each other, every good. Out
of his fulness shall we receive even grace for grace
imparted to us. And, in reference to this assi-
milating influence, we are told, that even our
bodies shall be made to resemble the glorified

SEEING GOD AS HE IS. 225

body of Christ. " We look for the Saviour the
Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body,
that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious
body, according to the working whereby he is able
to subdue all things unto himself," or to assimi-
late all things to himself. Thus " we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is."

IV. It remains, in the last place, to observe,
that the glory and happiness of heaven consis
in being thus conformed to the Divine image. —
This needs very little explanation. There is, in
fact, but one kind of glory or of happiness. And
in God this glory and happiness are found in
an infinite degree. Just in proportion, therefore,
as we attain to these excellencies, we must of
necessity resemble him. The resemblance to him
is the exact measure of that attainment. Let
us then correct our views of heaven. Let us no
longer consider it as a place of happiness of what
kind we know not, or conceive of it so meanly
as to compare it to the most perfect pattern of
temporal enjoyment ; rather let us view it as the
abode of happiness, because there our resem-
blance to the Divine Nature will be perfected.
" It doth not yet appear what we shall be ; but
we know that when he shall appear, we shall be
like him, for we shall see him as he is." Thus

VOL. I. Q,

226 ON THE EPFKCT OF

to contemplate heaven, is to have the nearest
view of it which perhaps it is possible on earth
to obtain.

By way of improvement on this interesting
subject, let it be observed, that it teaches us the
necessity of becoming pure and holy in this life,
in order to obtain an entrance into the kingdom
o fglory above. " He that hath this hope in him,
purifieth himself even as he is pure." It is im-
possible that God can admit into his kingdom
the impure and unsanctified. It is indeed the
very object of the Gospel, to prepare us for heaven
by purifying us in this state of probation. That
dispensation is intended to display the impossibi-
lity of our becoming happy without being holy : to
shew us the nature of God, and thus to convince
us that " without holiness no man shall see the
Lord."

But the subject also illustrates the means of
becoming holy ; for holiness is communicated
in this world precisely in the same way as it is
above. By contemplating God " as he is," that is,
according to the true description of his character
given in the Gospel, we become like him. Thus
the Apostle teaches us; — " We beholding as in a
glass," or mirror, "the glory of the Lord" (that is,
his glory reflected in the face of Jesus Christ), "are

SEEING GOD AS HE IS. 227

changed into the same image from glory to glory."
The Gospel is expressly intended to be a true and
comprehensive exhibition of God, and not merely
such as we view in nature ; for there, though we
see his power and wisdom, we do not fully learn
his holiness, mercy, and love. When, therefore,
we study the Bible ; when we meditate most deeply
on the nature and character of God as there
unfolded ; when we pray to God for the influence
of his grace and Spirit (in which act of devotion
we place ourselves, as it were, in his presence,
and contemplate his glory); then we take the
means the most efficacious to assist our endeavours
to resemble him. Then we prepare ourselves in
the best manner in our power on earth, to be
transformed into his image ; for, in fact, the same
method will be pursued above. When we die, we
shall not so much change the means of resembling
God as find their efficacy increased. God grant,
therefore, that as we cherish this hope, we may thus
" purify ourselves, even as he is pure ; " that when
he shall come again, with power and great glory,
we may be made like unto him in his eternal
kingdom, where with the Father and Holy Spirit
he reigns evermore !

q 2

228

SERMON XIV.

UNDUE REGARD TO REPUTATION A SOURCE
OF UNBELIEF.

JOHN V. 44.

How can ye believe, which receive honour one of
another, and seek not the honour that cometh
from God only ?

OUR blessed Lord here assigns a reason for
that unbelief with respect to his Divine Mission
which he found so generally prevalent, and for
which, on ordinary principles, it is so difficult to
account. The miracles which he performed were
most numerous and striking, and of unquestion-
able authenticity. His doctrines were most just,
sublime, and worthy of a Divine Revelation : yet
the great majority of the Scribes and Pharisees
did not believe in him. Now all unbelief is to
be accounted for upon one of two principles ;
either that there is not sufficient evidence to justify

UNDUE REGARD TO REPUTATION, &C. 229

belief, or that the mind is not in a fit state
to receive the proper impression from that evi-
dence. In the present instance, the former was
clearly not the case : the evidence was full and
indisputable. The latter, therefore, was the true
cause ; the minds of the Scribes and Pharisees
were not in a fit state to give clue weight to the
miracles performed by Christ, to pay a proper
attention to the nature of the doctrines delivered
by him, to appreciate their value, or to judge
impartially of their origin. And the particular
reason why their minds were thus indisposed is
assigned by our Lord : they received " honour one
of another." Their reputation amongst men was
the chief object of their solicitude ; and, therefore,
they were eager to receive those opinions which
the world held in honour, and reluctant to em-
brace those of which the reception was generally
discreditable. — The disciples of Christ were, in
general, not only of poor and mean condition,
but considered as fools and dupes by the wise,
and opulent, and honourable of that day ; and
therefore, a man who was influenced by regard
to character could not believe in him. It was
morally impossible that he should. Had he
seen, indeed, the faith of Jesus generally received
by those whose esteem he valued, he would have
believed on him also; that is, he would have

230 UNDUE REGARD TO REPUTATION

sacrificed to the love of reputation in another
way, and made the faith of Christ to minister
to his vanity. But to embrace the cause of Christ,
at a period when it was calumniated and despised,
required an independence of mind and a love
of truth, which are incompatible with the selfish
emotions of vanity. Nay more ; it required a
supreme desire to please God, and a just regard
to his approbation as the only true honour. Who-
ever sought, in the first place, the honour which
cometh from God, would have necessarily become
a disciple of Christ ; for that principle would have
induced him to judge by scriptural rules ; to
compare the character of Christ with that fore-
told of the Messiah by Moses and the Prophets ;
to give due weight to the nature of the miracles
performed by Jesus ; and, above all, to study
carefully his doctrines, with a view both to their
intrinsic excellence, and to their correspondence
with Scripture. He, on the other hand, whose
ruling principle, like that of the Pharisees, was
ambition of worldly reputation, would be open
to none of those sources of conviction, and would
therefore continue to disbelieve.

This subject naturally leads to the consideration
of three points.

I. The nature and evil tendency of an undue
regard to reputation.

A SOURCE OF UNBELIEF. 231

II. The excellence of the principle of supreme
regard to the favour of God. And,

III. The connection between such a principle
and the cordial reception of the doctrines of the
Gospel.

I. The nature and evil tendency of an undue
regard to reputation. I say an undue regard,
because there is a proper regard to the opinion
of our fellow-creatures which is both useful
and laudable. — Samuel appealed to all Israel re-
specting the integrity of his life. St. Paul called
the Jews to witness that he had lived in all good
conscience both before God and man. But, pro-
perly speaking, it is a good character rather than
reputation which a man ought to seek. The love
of reputation (by which is meant the love of
worldly applause) results from the gratification
which that applause administers to vanity. It
is therefore founded on a selfish and corrupt
principle. We may value the esteem of others,
especially of the good, as a test of our own cha-
racter : we may value it also as an instrument of
power, enabling us to do good ; for a man who
does not possess the esteem of his fellow-crea-
tures can do nothing useful in society. We may
seek it therefore in a moderate manner, as we seek
any other of the blessings of life : — but we must

232 UNDUE REGARD TO REPUTATION

not make it the end and aim of our conduct ; we
must not use it as a motive, or be guided by it
as a rule of action; we must not value it so
highly as to be elated by its possession or de-
jected by its unmerited loss. Our aim must be
to do what is ri<j;ht in the si^ht of God. and our
rule must be the word of God. If, while we
steadily adhere to these, we obtain the goodwill
of our fellow-creatures also, it is a cause for
thankfulness ; — but in the opposite event, we are
to console ourselves by the remembrance that
they are but fallible and sinful creatures like
ourselves; that their judgment may be erroneous;
and that, if it is not agreeable to that of God,
their approbation can confer no real advantage,
nor their censure attach any permanent disgrace.
" For what is man, whose breath is in his
nostrils; or wherein is he to be accounted of,"
in opposition to God ?

There may be an undue regard to reputation
prevailing even in those cases in which the opinion
of the world seems to be entirely despised. An
affectation of singularity, a direct contrariety to
the maxims or conduct of the world, may spring
from the desire of reputation only directed in a
peculiar channel. By a bold deviation from the
ways of the world, and a professed contempt of its
opinions, we may be aiming at the character of

A SOURCE OF UNBELIEF. 233

mental independence, and seeking in singularity
that reputation which, in the ordinary modes of
thinking and acting, we have not sufficient ability
to attain. In general, however, it is by the dread
of being singular that an undue esteem for repu-
tation is evinced. We are anxious to follow the
world : and to think and act with those around us.
If I pursue such a line of conduct, or embrace
such doctrines, what will people think or say of
me? is the question which naturally occurs to
minds influenced by this principle ; and with them
it is a question so weighty as to bear down all
sense of duty and regard to the will of God.
Now, the evil of being guided by such a principle
is very great.

]. It robs God of the glory due to him as the
supreme Sovereign and righteous Judge of the
world, and ascribes to men that honour and
glory which are due to him alone. For through-
out the whole creation, in heaven as well as in
earth, the holy and blessed Creator ought to be
acknowledged and treated as God by every crea-
ture. But to treat him as God implies, that we
honour and worship him with a supreme regard ;
that we yield him an implicit obedience : that
we seek his glory as our chief aim in life; that
his authority is decisive with us, and his will our
only law. He therefore who is guided by the love

£34 UNDUE REGARD TO REPUTATION

of worldly reputation as his principle, is in a state
of rebellion against God. He fears, honours,
loves, and obeys the creature more than the
Creator, and has transferred to man the affections
and the allegiance due to God. Now, are we
to suppose that this can be endured by the
Supreme Ruler of the universe ? Is he to be de-
throned, that a creature, such as man, may usurp
his place? Can there be greater moral guilt than
this? If this principle were to prevail generally,
it would amount to an entire subversion of the
Sovereignty of God, and it would introduce into
the world all the anarchy and misery which the
supreme dominion of the Wisest and Best of
beings can alone prevent. The order and har-
mony of the creation would be destroyed, and its
beauty defaced. Other sins are a breach of some
particular command : they are acts of disobe-
dience, it is true, but they do not strike at the root
of all obedience : this is the sin of rebellion, the
highest of crimes, against the Sovereign Power;
because it impugns the very right of legislation,
and refuses obedience upon principle.

2. Again: The evil of such a principle will be
apparent when we consider how base and mean
is its nature, as contrasted with obedience to the
Divine Will. — When a man obeys and serves God,
he obeys and serves a Being who of all others is

A SOURCE OF UNBELIEF. 235

confessedly the wisest, the greatest, the noblest,
and the best : — but if he devote himself to the
opinion of his fellow-man, he chooses as his
master a poor dependant creature, in nature as
weak, as fallible, as ignorant, and as degraded
as himself: he submits to be the slave of folly,
and the victim of caprice; for what rule in
general is so false as that of man's opinion ; what
guide so uncertain as his judgment? Reformation,
besides, is absolutely impossible, while this prin-
ciple is pursued : for it sets up corruption itself
as the standard by which right and wrong are to
be measured. Our vices, whatever they may be,
are sanctioned by those whom we have chosen as
the directors of our consciences, but who are at
the same time the sharers in our iniquity; and
we secure indulgence by making the partners in
our frailties the judges of our guilt. Indeed,
after all, what is it but to make our own opinions
our standard, where we seem to be guided by
those of the world? The love of reputation is but
the love of self. As we seek the good opinion of
mankind because it flatters our pride and vanity ;
so we are guided by the opinions of the world,
because those opinions are in general our own :
nor do we ever differ from the world, except
where our interest or our caprice leads to the
deviation.

256 UNDUE IlEGAllD TO REPUTATION

It is further evident, that such a servile regard
to our reputation will be highly prejudicial to
others. For it will induce us to flatter them, and
to palliate and conceal the defects of their cha-
racter, in order that they may be pleased with us.
A man, therefore, who seeks only to stand fair in
the opinion of the world, is of necessity a man
of no principle. He must take the complexion
of the company : he must say what will gain the
good opinion of those with whom he converses,
not what will be agreeable to truth : he must sup-
press what would be painful and unpleasant, how-
ever necessary or just. Honour, integrity, truth,
justice, religion, must be sacrificed at the shrine
of his own selfishness and vanity. This is his
aim and object; and thus their good is entirely
out of the question, and his own vanity must be
gratified. The gratification of these feelings is
his exclusive aim ; and in this pursuit, the glory
of God, the interests of religion, and the real
good of his fellow-creatures are disregarded. It
is an important circumstance, upon which too
much stress cannot be laid, that whatever is wrong
in the view of morals and religion is also in every
other respect disadvantageous. This is wisely
appointed by Providence, in order to promote
the great ends of the Divine administration ; and
it generally is found to take place in reference to

A SOURCE OF UNBELIEF. 237

the present subject of consideration. Another
remark, therefore, which may be made upon this
subject is, that those who give up the honour
which cometh from God, in order to gain the
esteem of man, usually fail in their object. God
is the best and kindest of masters, as he is the
greatest ; but the world is a hard master, difficult
to be pleased, capricious in its taste, quick to
discover defects, severe in its censures, and im-
placable in its displeasure. How many, besides
Wolsey, have painfully regretted their injudicious
preference of the world's opinion to that of God,
or of their own consciences ! The fickleness
of the world, the bubble of popular applause,
the vanity of dependence on man, are themes
which, even to satiety, have been the subjects of
discourse. And it should be well weighed by
those who give themselves up to court the world's
esteem, that while those who seek it the most
ardently are often found to seek it in vain, it is
frequently bestowed most liberally upon those who
never seek it at all, but whose only motive of
action is a conscientious desire to please God.
So true is that expression of the Divine Sovereign,
" Those that honour me I will honour;" that is,
cause to be honoured ; and " they that despise me
shall be lightly esteemed."

238 UNDUE UEGARD TO REPUTATION-

II. In opposition to this false and corrupt
principle, let us consider, in the second place, the
nature and excellency of that principle by which
we ought to be guided; namely, that of seeking
the honour which cometh from God.

The man who is guided by this motive sets
God ever before him as his Supreme Lord, whom
he is bound by every obligation readity, constantly,
universally, implicitly, supremely, to obey. Whe-
ther the commands of God, therefore, be easy or
difficult ; whether they be agreeable to the maxims
and practice of the world or not ; whether he shall
be despised and ridiculed, hated and persecuted,
or esteemed and applauded, for his obedience to
them, makes no difference in his conduct. He
intensely feels the value of God's approbation,
and its sufficiency to compensate the loss of every
earthly good. He considers, too, the extreme
shortness of this life, and learns therefore, to
attach little value to human approbation. He
is besides convinced, that even in this short life
the hope of God's favour and the consciousness of
acting according to his will, communicate a peace
infinitely exceeding that which the favour of the
world can confer ; and he looks forward to the
period, soon approaching, when those who have
lived to the world, and to themselves, shall call
on the rocks and hills to hide them from the face

A SOURCE OF UNBELIEF. 25<)

of Him that sitteth upon the throne. He reflects,
that a whole eternity is before him, and that
through this eternity it will be the favour of God
from which alone he must derive all his happiness
and every good. Finally, he considers that God
is not only his Judge, who will surely bring into
trial every thought of his heart, but his Sovereign
too, and his constant Benefactor ; and that to rebel
against him is the very height of baseness and in-
gratitude. Every principle, therefore, of reason,
of wisdom, of religion, requires him, in all things,
to consult his will and to seek his approbation.

Now the excellency of such a conduct is
obvious and indisputable. The principle upon
which it is founded is of the utmost possible purity:
it is alloyed by no mixture of imperfection, but,
consisting of regard to a Being infinitely pure, is
itself infinitely pure also. — It is also the simplest
and the noblest : the simplest, because it has but
one end in view, which it pursues with undeviating
steadiness; the noblest, because that end is the
glory of God. — It is a principle fixed and per-
manent. The opinions and taste of men vary in
every age and in every climate ; but the will of
God is like himself, " the same yesterday, to-
day, and for ever;" the same as revealed to the
Patriarchs ; the same as manifested by his Son
Jesus Christ; the same upon earth while directing

240 UNDUE REGARD 10 REPUTATION

the conduct of the saints, as in heaven while in-
fluencing the sentiments of angels and archangels.
— It is a principle always productive of peace and
happiness ; for it secures the blessing of a quiet
conscience, can bear the test of the most rigid
self-examination, and on retrospect is always so
satisfactory as amply to compensate to every man
the privations to which it may have exposed him.
It thus infuses a calm of mind which no other
principle can confer, and leads to a settled tran-
quillity and "peace which passeth all understand-
ing." And here applies the remark which has
been already made, but which cannot be too often
repeated on account of its importance, that what is
right is always the most advantageous. The fear
of God may expose a man for a time to suffering;
but it will carry him through that suffering, and
will ultimately produce infinitely more satisfaction
and happiness than sinful compliance could have
done. If he have God and his own conscience on
his side, what need has he to fear ? He has that
which will support him equally in a palace and in
a dungeon : he has that which will render him
intrepid amidst the wreck of worlds, and even in
the awful entrance into eternity.

III. Such being the general character of this
excellent principle, let us, in the last place, ob-

A SOURCE OF UNBELIEF. 241

serve how admirably adapted it is to dispose us
to a ready reception of the doctrines of Christ ;
and, on the other hand, how opposite is the effect
of an undue regard to the opinions of men. —
We well know how much the understanding is
biassed by the state of the affections. It is evi-
dent, therefore, that where the love of reputation
operates in the heart, the mind is predisposed to
receive that doctrine, and to believe that system,
which is the fairest in human estimation. But
even if the error of that system is suspected, there
will be no integrity of mind sufficient to secure
its full investigation; no sense of the importance
of truth sufficient to teach perseverance in that
investigation till the truth is discovered ; no for-
titude of mind to bear the contempt and reproach
which may follow an open confession of that
truth. In fact, the man who follows the world,
and seeks human esteem alone, has nothing to
do with principle, or with investigation, or with
truth. He has no claim to independent reflection
He is the slave of those whose opinion he courts,
and must not venture to think or believe but as
they bid him. It is not to a character like this,
that it belongs to pursue the calm investigation
of truth, even in its secret recesses; to avow it
when it is in disgrace ; to bear contempt and
ridicule for it; to surfer for it with a martyr's

VOL. I. R

242 UNDUE REGARD TO REPUTATION

constancy. No : this requires a sterling nobleness,
a magnanimous independence of thought, a high
superiority to all selfish considerations ; — and it
is only by the influence of some great principle
operating on the mind that such magnanimity can
be imparted. Such a principle is a supreme de-
sire of the favour of God. Where that dwells in
the soul, it immediately elevates it to the con-
templation of noble and divine objects, commu-
nicates to it a cast of thinking by which it at once
discovers the dignity and glory of Divine Truth,
however despised, or degraded, or obscured ; and
is at once determined to pursue it as not less con-
genial to its own feelings, than agreeable to the
will of God. Hence a pious Nicodemus, a de-
vout Joseph of Arimathea, a guileless Nathanael,
a just Zaccheus, an upright Centurion, were al-
ready disposed, by the fear of God, to embrace
the religion of Christ ; and, having received the
truth, to suffer for it : while, on the other hand,
the Pharisees, whose religion was only a disguised
species of vanity, and whose hearts were alive
only to human applause and worldly reputation,
were the grand enemies of Christ ; of Him, who
neither in his person nor his doctrines professed
any thing which would gratify vanity, or minister
to pride, — but who, on the contrary, bid his dis-
ciples take up their cross, deny themselves, and

A SOURCE OP UNBELIEF. Q43

follow him who had not where to lay his head -
who had no wealth or honour of this world, and
taught his disciples to renounce the love of these
things ; who commanded them to be humble, to
take the lowest place, and to set their affections on
things above. The contrariety of such declara-
tions to the spirit and temper of the Pharisees, is
too obvious to need illustration. The Christian
principle was as opposite to that of the Pharisees,
as light to darkness, or heaven to hell.

Now there is the same evil at this day in the
love of human estimation ; the same power in it to
indispose us for discovering and relishing the true
religion. Would you therefore be the disciples of
Christ, your first principle must be to value above
every thing the favour of God. Pray to that
God from whom every thing good and perfect
proceedeth, that he would fill your mind with the
deepest conviction of the infinite value of his
favour, that you may act every day and in all
things in such a manner as you think will please
him. This must be your first principle ; and then
learn to give less weight to the opinions of men :
dare to set light by their ridicule and censure, and
value less their applause. Ask yourself whether
the world in general fear God and act according
to his will ; if they do not, they are no safe guides

r 2

244 UNDUE REGARD TO REPUTATION, &C.

to follow. Take the Bible into your hand, and
let Christ become your Guide. If there is any
thing commanded by him that is contrary to the
spirit and maxims of the world, be not ashamed
to practise it; and, in a humble but manly spirit,
avow your determination to conform yourself in
every thing to his will. With such a principle
you will not fail to perceive the excellency of all
that Christ has proposed for your belief, and com-
manded for your practice. It will approve itself
to you as being congenial to your views and
disposition. Such a disposition will serve to
correct many mistakes into which you might
otherwise fall, and to discover to you many ex-
cellencies in the truths of Christianity which you
would otherwise overlook. But this disposition
is the gift of God. Pray for it, and it will not be
denied to you : and whilst you pray, act. Be
faithful and upright in doing every thing which
you believe you ought to do ; and in giving up
whatever you are required to resign for the sake
of God. Then you will see the force and the truth
of the words of the text, and the impossibility
that those should believe aright who seek honour
one of another, and not the honour which cometh.
from God only.

145

SERMON XV.

ON THE CAUSES OF UNTHANKFULNESS.

ROM. i. 21.

Neither were thankful.

lHE heathen world is condemned by the Apo-
stle, not for the want of knowledge which they
could not possess, — for no man will be condemned
for wanting that which he had not the opportunity
of attaining, — but for not acting up to the know-
ledge which they either did possess or might have
possessed ; in other words, for their criminal neg-
ligence and inattention. They in a measure, he
says, " knew God." From beholding his works,
they might easily infer him to be a gracious and
compassionate Being. For " the invisible things
of him," that is, his attributes, " are clearly seen
in the creation of the world j" — for this the words
evidently mean; — " being understood" (or mani-
fested) " by the things that are made" (by the whole

246 ON THE CAUSES OF UNTH ANKFULNESS.

frame and order of the world), " even his eternal
power and godhead." They were, therefore, in-
excusable when, knowing him to be a Being of
eternal power, glory, and goodness, they did not
glorify him as such a Being ought to be glorified ;
they did not offer him a worship corresponding to
these glorious attributes, " neither were thankful;"
— they did not, as they ought, feel grateful for
his goodness, nor render to him the homage of
obedience for the innumerable benefits which they
had received at his hands. And, in consequence
of their thus criminally neglecting to act up to
the light they possessed, God " gave them up"
to the folly of their own minds. " Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools" in their
religion, and profligate in their conduct; till, at
length, they were abandoned by God and given
over to condemnation. Of such importance is it,
my brethren, to be faithful to the light imparted
to us, and thankful for the blessings we have
received from God.

Now the blessings which those heathen nations
had received were only those which God has
given to all mankind ; — the blessings of light, of
heat, of fruitful seasons, of health, of the faculties
and senses of the mind and body. They under-
stood, comparatively, very little of the real good-
ness of God. His mercy in the redemption

ON THE CAUSES OF U NTTH A N KFU LNESS. 247

of mankind, the Gospel of his Son, the influence
•of his Spirit, were not made known to them.
Still, however, they were highly culpable in their
want of thankfulness. They knew enough of
the goodness of God to demand gratitude at
their hands, and therefore to justify their con-
demnation for the want of it. But with how
much more force does this argument apply to
us, who have the Gospel, with so many other
blessings, committed to us ! If they were con-
demned for their unthankfulness, surely our guilt,
if we are thankless, infinitely exceeds theirs.

Gratitude to others for benefits received is so
plainly a duty, that it is superfluous to establish
it by argument. Neither is it less obvious that
the duty is great in proportion to the number and
value of those benefits. It follows, therefore,
that the duty of thankfulness to God is of the
highest and most binding nature, since the num-
ber and value of his favours are infinitely great.
I do not think, indeed, that any persons will, in
plain terms, deny the obligation of gratitude to
God. Their want of thankfulness does not
spring from any doubt, either as to the abstract
principle or as to the particular duty of grati-
tude to God. But the fact is, that they do not
perceive God to be so truly a benefactor to them
as he is. This point, then, requires to be made

£48 ON THE CAUSES OF UNTHANKFULN ESS.

the subject of our consideration. I shall, there-
fore, in the present discourse, endeavour to assign
some of the causes from whence this mistake as to
the beneficence of God arises.

I. One cause of our thanklessness to God is,
that we are apt rather to rest in second causes
than to trace our blessings to their Primary
Source. — The view of man is generally too con-
fined. He looks at what is near and immediate,
rather than at what is more remote. Does he
receive any good, it appears to be the fruit of
his own labour, of his prudence, his exertions,
or of the kindness of his friends. To these, then,
the gratitude appears to be due ; and to these,
and these alone, it is generally offered. The
fact, however, is, that the Original Mover and
First Cause is the Being to whom our thanks
are chiefly due. For — take a similar case. I am
desirous of serving a friend. Perhaps the way
in which I can most effectually serve him, is
by persuading a third person to do something
for his benefit; and I accordingly urge this
person, and prevail with him. To whom, in this
case, is my friend really indebted ? Is it to me,
or to the third person ? While his thanks
ought undoubtedly to be given to him, they
are yet principally due to me. I am the grand

ON THE CAUSES OF UNTII A NKFULNESS. 249

mover and author of this benefit. My kindness

is not diminished by the intervention of the means

I have chosen to employ. — But although the

validity of this reasoning may be admitted in

the case of a human benefactor, it is too apt

not to be admitted in considering the agency of

the Almighty. The man who obtains food and

raiment by his own labour does not always

ascribe it to the bounty of God. He feels little

gratitude to him who first gave fertility to the

earth ; who waters the grain with his showers ;

who ripens it with his suns; and who adapts it

to the powers of digestion and the purposes of

nourishment. Suppose then you deemed it right,

before you conferred a favour upon your child,

to require of him, as a condition of the gift, some

previous exercise or labour — would he, when he

received it, argue justly, if he were to say, " I

do not owe this to my parent, but to my own

labour?" Would you not answer — " I appointed

that labour as the means by which the end was

to be secured : I promised the blessing ; I pointed

out the means, and ensured success to them/'

The fact is, the favour is enhanced by the

appointment of the means where a merciful end

is secured to the use of those means. This we

discover in other cases, but not where God is

the Author of our success. But for the blindness

5250 ON THE CAUSES OF U NTHAN KFU LNESS.

of our understanding, or rather, perhaps, the
ingratitude of our hearts, we should, at once,
refer every mercy to the Supreme Cause, and
observe with astonishment the variety, the extent,
and the uniformity of his goodness. We should
trace to his love for man the system of the
universe. To give light to man, He created the
splendour by which we are surrounded. To
feed him, he caused food to spring out of
the earth. To gratify him, he strewed the face
of Nature with flowers, and planted it with
groves. To recruit his wearied body, he ap-
pointed rest and sleep. He gives success to
our labours, and he breathes kindness into our
friends. -^-The day approaches, my brethren, when
we shall see that all blessings of all kinds, in
all places, and at every period — the tenderness
of parents, the affection of friends, blessings
apparently the most spontaneous and the most
costly, the comforts of life, and the joys of eternity
— are all the gifts of a heavenly Hand. Would to
God, that we could at once make this discovery !
This indeed would open to us new prospects,
would almost replace us in Paradise, would
display to us its Author walking again amidst the
scenes of his own creation, and pronouncing every
thing to be good. Why should we doubt his pre-
sence, merely because he is not revealed to the

ON THE CAUSES OF UNTII AN KFULNESS. 251

bodily eye ? Why should we doubt his goodness,
because he is pleased to impart it by the interven-
tion of means and instruments ? Paradise was not
less replenished by his bounty, because he appointed
Adam to dress the garden. The bounty of the
monarch is not the less, because he distributes it
by the hands of his ministers.

II. A second cause of our unthankfulness to
God is our defective vietv of his Providence. —
We feel grateful to God when we can readily
and distinctly trace any mercy to his Providence.
And this is at once recognized in peculiar and
striking instances, as in cases of remarkable de-
liverance or unusual success. But it is greatly
to be lamented, that even our acknowledgment
of the agency of God, In some instances, should
become a means of diminishing our sense of his
agency in others. And this is the case, if, by
acknowledging him to act only in particular
cases, we exclude the sense of his general inter-
ference. The fact is, that God does not act in
one case more than in another. He indeed
more distinctly reveals to us his agency in some
instances, that we may learn to recognize it in
all. He sometimes ceases to employ instruments,
in order to shew us, that when instruments are
used, it is still He who works. Far be it from

'J52 ON THE CAUSES OF UNTHAN KFU LNESS.

me to check the grateful emotions felt by any
person who has experienced what is termed a
particular Providence. But this I must say, that
the very idea of a particular Providence arises
merely from the weakness of our understanding,
and our imperfect conception of the Divine
agency. For, if we saw the agency of God as
it is seen in heaven, we should discover that his
providence is as distinct, as particular, as minute
in one case as another; that " particular" and
"general" are the language of human infirmity :
that what is signal and peculiar in our eyes, is
common in his; that his hand is always employed ;
that the " God of Israel never slumbereth nor
sleepeth."

A striking instance of this misconception ap-
pears in the very meaning assigned to the word
" Providence." Men call it a " Providence,"
when they receive some unexpected deliverance
or blessing. But they do not call a loss, or a
disease, or a misfortune, a Providence. Yet the
term Providence means an instance of God's
special care over us. And are we competent
judges of the nature of the Divine dispensation
towards us ? It is certain that on this point the
views of God differ most widely from our own.
He calls that good which we deprecate as evil.
In this case, then, whose views of good are to

ON THE CAUSES OF UXTH ANKFULNESS. 2,53

be surrendered ? Shall God give us blessings
only according to our conception of them ? Or
shall he exercise his own superior wisdom, and
impart real good, even though we resist it, though
we weep over it, though we pray against it ? I
fully believe, that in that invisible world, in which
we shall be able to form a true conception of the
goodness of God, we shall discover mercy where
we once discerned only severity, and shall thank
God for the disappointments, the trials, the
sufferings endured below, as the most signal
instances of his providential care. — When it is
inquired, " Who will shew us any good?" it is
of great importance first to determine what is
" good." Now, in truth and reason, that is good
■which is durable, which is eternal, which is holy,
which unites the soul to God, the Fountain of
all good : and that is evil which is transitory,
which is polluted, which tends to no good moral
end, which is sensual, which alienates the soul
from God. Allow this to be just, and it gives
us a key to the Divine administration, which
unlocks many of its difficulties, and establishes
the goodness of God, where, perhaps, it is apt
to be least recognized by his creatures. Many,
for instance, are disposed to think they have no
particular grounds for thankfulness ; that their
lot has even been hard, and their mercies few ; —

254 ON THE CAUSES OF UNTH ANKFULNESS.

that the Providence of God has been rarely
extended to them. But on what is this conception
of the dealings of God with themselves founded?
Evidently on this principle, that nothing is
good but temporal good. If God had given
them unusual success in their undertakings,
or unexpected accessions to their fortune, and
health to enjoy their prosperity, then, indeed,
they would have acknowledged themselves debtors
to his mercy. But under different circumstances
as to outward things, they acknowledge no
such obligation. Thus falsely do we estimate
our condition. Is it not evident, that such a
judgment allows no importance to those gifts
which are represented in Scripture as the chief
of the Divine mercies? The worldly sufferer
thinks little of the bread of eternal life which
has been offered to him, of the inestimable gift
of the Son of God, of the innumerable promises
that, if he will trust God and serve him, God
will be a Father to him, and will " never
leave him nor forsake him." He forgets the
unwearied patience and forbearance of God,
sparing and blessing him when his sins called
for vengeance. He forgets the strivings of the
Spirit of God within him ; his secret suggestions
and admonitions to his conscience. He forgets
the various mercies, even of a temporal kind,

ON THE CAUSES OF UNTHANKFULNESS. 255

which he has enjoyed ; the health, and the daily
sustenance, the vigour of mind, the perfect use
of his senses, the kindness of friends, the affection
of a wife or children, the alleviations of sorrow
and the mitigations of pain. All these are
passed by as of no value. The mind is morbidly
fixed upon something which it passionately de-
sires, and foolishly esteems the only good, and
cries, " Give me that, or I die. Give me that,
or I possess no mercies." Thus Ahab pined
and fell sick, and lay upon his bed overwhelmed
with distress, because he could not obtain the
vineyard of Naboth for u a garden of herbs."
He could not perceive that he had any mercies
to be thankful for, while he could not gratify this
wish of his heart. And thus it is with mankind
in general. They look not at what they possess,
but at what they desire. Otherwise, on a just
comparison, it would clearly appear, that the gifts
even of the most afflicted, when duly estimated,
exceed, in an infinite degree, their privations and
sufferings.

III. It is a third source of unthankfulness to
God, that men do not consider themselves indebted
to him, except for peculiar or distinguishing
mercies. — For the mercies they share in common
with others, they think little gratitude is due.

9,56 ON THE CAUSES OF UNTHANKFULNESS,

Now I would wish such persons to consider,
whether the diffusiveness and extent of the bounty
of God form any just cause of unthankfulness*
What would they think of a child who should say,
" I am not indebted to my parent ; for he feeds,
and clothes, and takes care of my brothers and
sisters, as well as of myself?" Is it only some
exclusive blessing which will excite your gratitude?
Must you have something which distinguishes
you from others, to call forth your thankfulness?
Must your pride be gratified to make you
thankful ? Then, in truth, your gratitude is only
a modification of your pride. — The fact is, my
brethren, that the very extent of those blessings we
share with others, demands additional gratitude.
Indeed, such mercies are, in all respects, the most
valuable. Compare such a gift as the light and
heat of the sun, with any petty comforts granted
to an individual, and observe its superiority.
All private mereies may be compared to the
dew which fell only upon the fleece of Gideon.
But general mercies are like the dew of heaven-
descending, not alone upon the single fleece, but
on the general surface of nature, refreshing the
thirsty fields, and clothing them with verdure and
beauty. — Surely the blessing cannot be lessened
to me because others also are blessed. It is to
be measured by the value of the gift, which is

Off ?HE CAUSES OF l/NTHANKFULNESS. 257

not diminished because others partake of it.
Every one ought, in this respect, to consider
himself as the only inhabitant of the world. In
this case, how grateful would he be for the various
mercies around him ! But, if so, I desire to know
why the enjoyments of others should diminish
his gratitude, when their happiness does not in-
terfere with his, or the sense of their comforts
diminish his own ?

IV. But I pass on to notice a fourth cause of
the unthankfulness of man, — a cause I am sorry
to assign, because deeply disgraceful to human
nature. I may say, then, that the very num-
ber of the mercies of God tends to diminish
our gratitude for them. Painful and affecting
consideration ! Yet, alas ! it is just. For, exa-
mine the common feelings of mankind : is it
not evident that some extraordinary instance of
the bounty of God excites more gratitude than
the more valuable mercies of every day? The
continued enjoyment of our senses, the nightly
refreshment of sleep, make scarcely any impres-
sion, because they are common and continual. But
if a sense, apparently lost, is restored ; then we
feel much gratitude to our Benefactor. The same
disposition is seen in other cases. If a parent
gives to his children something new and unex-
pected, they are more thankful than for their

vol. i. s

258 ON THE CAUSES OF UNTHANKFULNESS.

daily food and clothing. Thus, also, although
the unexpected bounty of a friend may at first
excite thankfulness ; yet, if repeated every day,
it is received with diminished gratitude, and at
length the withholding of it is resented as an
injury. If it be urged in reply, that this springs
from a principle in human nature ; I allow it to
be so : but it is surely no amiable or excellent
principle. It shews that the sense of gratitude
does not keep pace with our mercies ; but, on the
contrary, is blunted by the repetition of them ; —
an infirmity which argues a depraved nature and
a corrupt heart ; a disposition which is banished
from heaven. Nor is this the full extent of the
evil. From the same depravity it arises, that the
very feeling of obligation is attended with pain,
especially where the debt is large. Men love to
be independent, and therefore hate an obligation.
And, however affecting and terrible the fact may
be, the same spirit of independence denies even
the gratitude we owe to God.

V. I add only one more source of unthankful-
ness to God ; namely, a prevalent view of his cha-
racter as a just and holy, rather than as a kind
and compassionate God.

It is unfortunate for us, that when we first
begin to hear or think of God, it is generally,
rather as a Lawgiver or Avenger of sin, than as

ON THE CAUSES OF UNTHANKFULNESS. 259

a kind and merciful Parent. We enjoy his
mercies, without knowing their Author. We find
them in the world, and find thousands around
us enjoying them in common with ourselves :
but soon we discover pleasures we should wish
to enjoy, or dispositions we should be glad to
gratify. But we are forbidden, and, perhaps,
told, " If you enjoy them, God will be angry-
God will punish you." Who, then, is God?
A Being, we begin to imagine, great indeed and
powerful, but at the same time strict and terrible ;
a Being who will one day call us to judgment, and
condemn to eternal torments those who disobey
him. Thus, the first impressions of God formed
on the mind (which have a considerable future in-
fluence on us) are unfavourable to Him ; for we do
not then perceive that his justice is only a modifica-
tion of his mercy, and that he never acts arbitrarily
in restraining or commanding his creatures, but
only with a view to their good. On the contrary,
we become accustomed to look upon God only as
a Judge. We see and feel many evils in life,
and are ready to ask, " Why does not God, if he
is so merciful a Being, prevent them?" It is in
vain, therefore, to expect much gratitude where
such a view is entertained of the Divine Being.
Dread is scarcely compatible with gratitude and
love.

s 2

£60 ON THE CAUSES OF UNTHANKFULNESS.

These, then, are some of the principal causes of
that want of thankfulness to God which prevails
in the world. We ascribe to second causes too
much, and to the Primary Cause of all good,
too little. We entertain false views of the provi-
dence of God. We mistake the nature of good.
We underrate the mercies enjoyed by us in
common with others. We undervalue our own
ordinary mercies. We early imbibe partial and
unfavourable views of our Creator.

A very different idea then of God, my brethren,
ought to prevail. We ought to look upon him
as the best, most gracious, and most amiable
Being ; as our constant Benefactor, kindest Parent,
wisest Counsellor, and unceasing Friend ; whom,
to know, is to love ; in whose " presence is fulness
of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures for
evermore."

O that I could give you, my beloved flock,
such a view of the gracious God whom we serve,
as would cause you to esteem his service " perfect
freedom!" — May the Spirit of God bless what
I say, to promote, in some degree, so excellent an;
object ! Amen.

261

SERMON XVI.

THE TARES AND THE WHEAT.

matt. xiii. 28 — SO.
The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that
we go and gather- them up ? But he said,
Nay, lest zvhile ye gather up the tares, ye
root up also the wheat zvith them. Let both
grozv together until the harvest.

1 HE chapter from which my text is taken
contains a variety of parables tending to illus-
trate the nature of that kingdom or church
which Christ was about to establish in the earth:
One circumstance is especially noticed — that
it should not consist exclusively of those who,
like the Head of the Church, should be holy
and without guile; but that it should compre-
hend a mixture of the wicked and the righteous.
This fact, which subsequent experience has but

262 THE TARES AND THE WHEAT.

too sadly confirmed, is expressed and illustrated
in the Parable of the Tares. " Good seed" was
to be sown in the Church : — such doctrine was
to be delivered as was calculated to produce the
fruits of righteousness alone, and to collect within
the Christian pale a " holy and peculiar people,
zealous of good works." But " an enemy"
should sow tares also. Corrupt principles and
affections, proceeding from another hand than
that from whence the good seed came, would
spring up and produce men of corrupt minds
and unholy lives. These, however, should be
permitted, in the wisdom of God, to continue in
the Church, together with the righteous, till the
great day of judgment, in which a final separa-
tion should take place. The Christian Church,
then, taking the word in its wider signification,
consists of good and bad mixed together. It is
like a " net cast into the sea, which gathers of
every kind ; which, when it is full, they draw to
shore, and sit down and gather the good into
vessels, but cast the bad away."

Since it has pleased Divine Wisdom thus to
permit the tares and the wheat, the wicked and
the righteous, to grow together, let us consider
what duties arise from such a state of things,
and what useful purpose it may be designed to
promote.

THE TARES AND THE WHEAT. 263

I. We may learn from it, that something

MORE IS REQUIRED OF US IN ORDER TO BE
REAL CHRISTIANS, THAN THE OBSERVANCE
OF EXTERNAL FORMS AND CEREMONIES. — It

is not enough that we are baptized in the name
of Christ, make a profession of faith in him,
attend his house, are members of his Church, and
are partakers of the most sacred rites which com-
memorate his death. All these things are com-
mon to the whole body of professing Christians ;
to the bad, as well as to the good ; to the
" tares" as well as to the *' wheat." But from
all this we can no more rationally conclude that
we are really members of the Church of Christ
here, and shall be partakers of the blessings of
his kingdom above, than a Jew would conclude
with certainty that he was entitled to the bless-
ings promised to the seed of Abraham, because
he was born of Jewish parents, and admitted
by circumcision into the covenant of God. For,
as the Apostle argued, " he is not a Jew"
(entitled to all the blessings belonging to that
chosen race) " who is one outwardly ; neither is
that circumcision which is outward in the flesh :
but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and that
is circumcision which is of the heart; in the
spirit, and not in the letter ; whose praise is
not of men, but of God." So we may justly

264 THE TARES AND THE WHEAT.

reason, with regard to the Christian Church — " He
is not a Christian who is one outwardly, neither
is that baptism which is outward in the flesh ;
but he is a Christian who is one inwardlv, and
baptism is that of the heart : that regeneration,
of which baptism is only the outward and visible
sign-"

We are all, I fear, too apt to take it for
granted that we are Christians (unless some very
gross transgressions disturb our consciences), be-
cause we are born in a Christian country, and
bear the name of Christ : but the representation
given in my text ought to render us careful that
we possess a better title to Christianity. The
great question with us should be, " Are we mem-
bers of the internal church?" — But what is the
internal church ? What is it which constitutes a
right to that holy and venerable title of Chris-
tian ? Where is the line to be drawn between
those who are Christians by profession only, and
those who are Christians indeed ? — With respect
to some persons, whose sins are numerous and
great, there may be no hesitation in classing
them among the " tares:" — and with respect
to some righteous persons, whose righteousness
shines forth like the sun in the noon-day, there
can be no doubt but they belong to the number
pf real Christians. But the bulk of mankind,

THE TARES AND THE WHEAT. 265

may be said not to come under either of those
descriptions. Their state is more indeterminate.
It may indeed be truly said, that the distinction
between merely nominal and real Christians con-
sists in the wickedness of the one, and the righ-
teousness of the other. This does establish an
effectual separation between them in the nature
of things ; and this separation is clearly discerned
by that God who " seeth the heart;" and who
will one day "judge every man according to his
works." But let it be remembered, that " wicked"
and " righteous" are terms which bear a different
import with different people. Many persons
think themselves righteous, at least not wicked,
who, it is to be feared, will appear in a different
light at the day of judgment. If, therefore, the
righteous and the wicked are here mixed together
under one common name of Christians ; if it
requires much attention to draw the line of dis-
tinction between them ; and if it is to be feared
that many persons deceive themselves with the
hope of being Christians, because they are mem-
bers of the external church, is it not incumbent
upon us all seriously to inquire what constitutes
the scriptural title to the name of Christian,
and impartially to examine whether we may
claim it? Let us not appeal, for the safety of
pur state, to the general customs of the world.

266 THE TARES AND THE WHEAT.

The " tares " grow up in the church, as well as
the " wheat." Let us not make our boast of
external forms and privileges. The wicked, as
well as the righteous, may be partakers of them.
Nothing but a lively faith in Christ, influencing
the heart, and producing the fruits of righteous-
ness, can render us Christians in the sight of
God.

II. Hitherto we have noticed only the duty
which the mixture of the righteous and the
wicked ought to impress upon us, of examining
seriously to which class we belong. It is proper
next to state some peculiar advantages

WHICH MAY RESULT FROM SUCH A DISPEN-
SATION, BOTH TO THE WICKED AND TO THE
RIGHTEOUS.

1. And first let us consider the advantages
arising to the wicked from this mixture in the
Church of Christ.

If it be any mercy that sin is in any measure
restrained, it is a mercy that the righteous are
continued in the world. For their presence, in
a variety of ways, tends to stop the progress of
sin, and to promote the practice of holiness.
The influence which they possess, not only by
their unblemished life, but by means of their
natural connections, by the ties of relationship and

THE TARES AND THE WHEAT. 267

friendship, is used by them for the most important
purposes. Their conduct in their necessary inter-
course with the world, their maxims, their general
spirit and temper, are like leaven, which pervades
the mass, and gives a character to the whole.
If all persons were wicked, it is obvious the evil
would extend itself far more widely and rapidly
than when checked, as it now is, by the presence
and holy endeavours of the righteous.

Again ; The wicked derive great benefit from
the presence of the righteous, in the participation
of many mercies and blessings which are com-
municated to an unworthy world for their sake.
Ten righteous persons would have saved Sodom.
The whole posterity of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, were spared and blessed, through many
successive generations, on account of the piety
of their ancestors. Children inherit the prayers
of their parents, — often the most valuable legacy
which they can receive ; and a blessing descends
upon a whole family, or nation, for the sake of the
righteous contained in it.

But the great purpose for which the righteous
appear to be left among the wicked is to instruct
and reform them. The wicked, through the
presence of the good, have the benefit of holy
examples. Hence, they not only see in the Bible
the excellence of religion, but they have proof

26'8 THE TARES AND THE WHEAT.

of the practicability of its duties, in the lives of
those of " like passions" with themselves ; of
men endued with a nature as frail, and assaulted
by as many temptations. Perhaps their friend,
perhaps their brother, once, like themselves,
careless and corrupt, is now become a devout
worshipper of God, and lives in obedience to
his will. What a call is this from God to them-
selves ! What an instance brought home to them,
of the excellency of holiness and the power of
grace ! What just remonstrances also are now
likely to be made to them ; what affectionate
entreaties, and what constant attention paid to
their spiritual welfare! If they continue in sin,
they have to resist the reproaches of conscience,
and the force of example. What can they now
plead in apology for their conduct ? WTill they say,
that the customs of the world in which they live
are too strong to be resisted ? They see before
them those who have effectually resisted these
customs. — Will they plead the vivacity of youth,
the power of their natural temper, or the violence
of their passions ? They see those who are as
young as themselves, who were once, perhaps, not
merely as much, but even more, under the power
of their passions, now living under the controul
of religion. — Do they urge the distraction of
business? There are some employed in the same

THE TABES AND THE WHEAT. 2<>9

occupations with themselves who, nevertheless,
make salvation their principal concern. — Is po-
verty or prosperity, is sickness or health, made the
plea for neglecting their souls ? Let them look
around : witnesses stand up on every side, to testify
that these circumstances form no exception to the
possibility of serving God.— Are they at a loss
to know what is real religion ; or, through inat-
tention, do they neglect to read the description
of it in the Sacred Writings? Behold the living
model set before their eyes.— If, in the society of
the righteous, they must be struck with something
in their views, sentiments, manners, and habits,
contrary to their own, which at once condemns
themselves and supplies the model they need :
they " see their good works/' and learn to " glo-
rify their Father which is in heaven."

2. Let us, secondly, consider in what light the
righteous should view this mixture of the righteous
and the wicked in the world, and what advan-
tageous influence it ought to have on their conduct.
— Is it true, then, that you who make a profession
of religion are as " a city set upon a hill, which
cannot be hid? " Are you the " salt of the earth? "
Is it by the shining of your light before men, that
they are to be led to glorify your Father which is
in heaven ? Is your example to be the comment
upon Scripture ? And is your conduct to be the

%70 THE TARES AND THE WHEAT,

most powerful preacher of righteousness to an
unrighteous world ? Are the honour of religion,
the glory of Christ, and the salvation of your
fellow-creatures, in a great measure intrusted to
you? " What manner of persons, then, ought ye
to be t?i all holy conversation and godli?iess f "
Say not with Cain, " Am I my brother's keeper?"
but consider, that it has pleased God to continue
the righteous amongst the wicked, in order that
the latter may be benefited. Let the impression,
then, they receive from you, be favourable to the
interests of religion. Little will people regard what
they hear, if what they see does not correspond
with it. The tongue may deceive, but actions
speak the truth ; and to them alone will the world
give credit. Remember also, that one instance
of evil, one inadvertent action, one unguarded
expression — I had almost said, one imprudent
look — has more power to harden, than many righ-
teous deeds have to reform. Consider, moreover,
how necessary it is you should use all the influence
you possess over others for beneficial purposes.
Your children, your servants, your relations, your
friends, are placed by Providence immediately
under your care; and from what they hear from
you and see in you, they will form, in a great
measure, those ideas of the utility and necessity of
religion which will influence their future life.

THE TARES AND THE WHEAT. 271

It is an obvious inference to be drawn by the
righteous from the mixture of bad and good in
the Church, that they themselves are placed
here to be tried. True friendship is proved only
by a season of adversity : true wisdom discovers
itself in difficult and intricate cases : and, in like
manner, true piety displays itself in a world
of temptation and corruption. It would be an
easy thing to be religious where all are religious;
where the strong tide of custom impels us in that
direction, liut God places his servants, for the trial
and improvement of their piety, in a sinful world.
They have to struggle with evil customs, and to dis-
play their love to him and their regard for religion,
not merely before a few persons agreeing with them
in sentiment, but before the world, and that part
of it " which lieth in wickedness." The reality of
Daniel's fear of God was proved, by his perse-
vering in prayer when it was forbidden. The
sincerity of the faith of the primitive Christians
was tried by the persecutions they endured. To
suffer reproach, or contempt, or loss, for Christ's
sake, is often more difficult than to be active in
exertions for his cause. In the world, in short,
there are abundant opportunities for the trial of
the reality of our principles and piety.

A further advantage arising to the righteous
from their continuance in this evil world is, that

272 THE TARES ANt) THE WHEAT.

it furnishes them with greater opportunities of
honouring God than even if they were removed
at once into the kingdom of heaven. For in
heaven many holy qualities cannot be exercised,
for which we have here continual opportunities.
Here is the "faith" and " patience of the saints:"
there faith will be superseded by sight ; and
patience will have no place, where there is no
suffering. Here we have the opportunity of
standing up faithfully and courageously for the
honour of God, and of proving our love to him
by our actions : but in heaven there will be no evil
customs to resist, no sinful affections to mortify,
no bad men whom we may reclaim, and whom we
may thus lead to join us in glorifying God.

Learn then, O Christian, to value this life as
an opportunity of honouring God ; very short,
indeed, but very precious. We are too apt not
to discover the value of opportunities till they
are lost. We lament that we live in a world of
sorrow and sin, and we hope soon to be admitted
into a more pure and holy residence. But, when
admitted there, if any thing could give us pain,
it would be to consider how many opportunities,
once possessed, of honouring God, are now irre-
trievably lost. There will be no sick to visit, no
naked to clothe, no afflicted to relieve, no weak
to succour, no faint to encourage, no corrupt to

THE TARES AND THE WHEAT. 273

rebuke or profligate to reclaim. A new sphere of
virtues will present themselves; brighter, indeed,
and more glorious than those which presented
themselves on earth, but not affording such
opportunities for manifesting the love we bear
to God. Happy are they who labour " while it is
called to-day."

III. Having thus examined the subject pro-
posed to you, I shall conclude with two observa-
tions of a practical nature.

1. In the first place, the mixture of the righ-
teous and the wicked, far from supplying to the
righteous an excuse for not profiting so much
as they ought by the means of grace, is rather an
argument for their giving themselves up more fully
to do the work of God, while the opportunity of
doing so is afforded. — And how infinitely important
is the present period of their existence ! How
much may they do in it, both to glorify God and
to benefit their fellow-sinners, and also to qualify
themselves for the inheritance of the saints in
light! Actuated by these views, let them be care-
ful to improve their necessary intercourse with the
wicked, to their mutual advantage. Let them not
deem the time spent in their society lost. There
are means of turning it to good account, which a

vol. i. t

274 THE TARES AND THE WHEAT.

mind duly sensible of the infinite value of the
present life will discover, and a heart impressed
with the sense of Divine things will eagerly em-
brace. Let them beware of esteeming the pre-
sent state of things useless and uninteresting ; of
merely suffering life as a kind of necessary evil.
Let them not so engage in earthly pursuits as
to forget the noble ends for which a Christian is
destined, and the manner in which he is called
to accomplish them. Let them always remember,
that, as there is an essential difference between the
tares and the wheat, such a difference must also dis-
cover itself between the righteous and the wicked ;
a difference which ought not to be lessened by a
gradual accommodation to the customs, and man-
ners, and maxims, and habits of the world. And,
in fine, let them always bear in mind, that it is the
" fruits of righteousness" which constitute the
essential difference between the " wheat" and
" tares," and which will regulate the final sepa-
ration of the good and bad. They who have
lived together here in the external church will be
separated by the angels, " who shall gather out
of the kingdom of Christ all things that offend,
and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them
into a furnace of fire : there shall be wailing and
gnashing of teeth : then shall the righteous shine
forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

THE TARES AND THE WHEAT. 275

2. Lastly, while we see the " wheat" and
" tares" thus permitted to grow up together till
the harvest, let us call to mind, both the difference
of their nature and the cause of that difference.
The tares, or weeds, cannot produce food for the
nourishment of man. In like manner, there is an
absolute difference of nature between the righteous
and the wicked. The righteous possess a new
nature implanted in them by the Holy Spirit.
They are become " new creatures in Christ Jesus,"
Once unprofitable and corrupt, through faith in
Christ they have been made partakers of the
influence of the Holy Ghost. — Such, then, is at
once the difference and the cause of it. Christ
has become a quickening principle in them. He
giveth life to the dead, strength to the weak,
wisdom to the ignorant, and grace to the cor-
rupt. Let us therefore, my brethren, call upon
him to plant us in his field, to watch over our
growth, to water us with the dew of his grace,
and, at length, to " gather us into his garner."

T 2

276

SERMON XVII.

ON INDECISION IN RELIGION.

1 kings xviii. 21.
How long halt ye between two opinions? If
the Lord be God, follow him j bid if Baalf
then follow kirn.

iHERE are few persons, perhaps indeed there
are none, who have renounced the service of
God from a deliberate principle. Few intend
to forsake God, or directly to oppose his will.
But too many do so indirectly, through negli-
gence or indecision. They do not seriously con-
sider who God is, and what he requires. They
do not lay to heart their obligations to him.
They acknowledge in general, that they ought
to pay obedience to him ; perhaps they intend it,
and even attempt to serve him in some points ;
but they allow their attention to be occupied, and

ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 277

fcheir resolutions to be frustrated by other objects;
They lose sight of God and his laws : and then
they indulge their own evil passions, and sin
against him. The sense they have of their obli-
gation to serve him is not sufficiently strong to
fix them steadily and uniformly in the path of
duty. Objections against a strict obedience arise,
which they take no pains to combat. They
waver in their principles, and still more in their
practice. Their whole conduct, as to religion,
is indecisive. They halt between two opinions,
and thus neither serve God nor follow sin unre-
servedly.

This was the character of the Ten Tribes of
Israel, to whom Elijah addressed the words of
my text. That was an unhappy day for the
Church on which the Ten Tribes revolted from the
kingdom of Judah, and erected a distinct king-
dom. The whole religious ceconomy of the Law
was founded upon the supposition, that the temple
was the centre of worship for all the children
of Israel : thither were the tribes to go up. But
as the permission of this union in religious ser-
vice Mould have tended to bring the kingdoms
again under one head, it was the policy of the
kings of Israel to introduce variety into the worship.
For the dissolute and profane, temples were built
to Baal : for the religious part of Israel, altars

278 ON INDECISION IN RELIGION.

were erected to Jehovah. Thus the people halted
between two opinions. A diversity of religious
opinions produced, as it usually does, an unwar-
rantable species of candour ; an indifference about
the truth, and a sceptical spirit concerning it.
Without denying Jehovah to be God, they inclined
to believe Baal to be a god also. They acknow-
ledged Jehovah to be Lord ; but they presumed
to worship hirn upon unhallowed altars, and in
places unauthorised by his Law. Thus there was
no zeal for the honour of God. Men learned
to view, with almost equal regard, the altars of
Jehovah and the neighbouring temples of Baal.
They neither served Baal nor the Lord heartily,
but contented themselves with paying a superficial
worship to either. This indifference in religion
the prophet justly reprobates. " How long," says
he, " will ye halt between two opinions?" Fluctuate
no longer in this manner. Baal and Jehovah can-
not both be gods. Come therefore to a decision ;
determine which is truly God. If, upon serious
examination, you discover Baal to be the true
God, worship him ; obey his rites, and with all
that zeal which he requires : — but if Jehovah be
the true God, then follow him, and him only;
worship him with your whole hearts ; give your-
selves up to him ; fulfil all that he has commanded.
If we allow for the present difference of circum-

ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. Q79

stances, how many shall we find among ourselves
who are influenced by the same spirit and adopt
the same conduct as the Israelites ! They do not
despise religion : they acknowledge its necessity,
and they approve of its precepts. They are shock-
ed at the profane and dissolute part of mankind,
and wonder that men dare to act in a manner
so contrary to the commands of their Creator.
They attend the house of God, and hear with
pleasure the preaching of his word ; they are
to a certain extent religious ; but they are far
from serving God with their whole heart. Their
religion amounts only to a general approbation
of what is excellent, a faint desire to be more
holy, and a compliance with those precepts of
God which cost them little trouble and self-denial.
There is nothing decided in their conduct : they
halt between two opinions : they attempt to unite
the service of God and mammon : they make a
compromise between religion and the world ; and
thus they neither take pains to know the whole
of their duty, nor are they solicitous to live up
to what they know. They are not at ease in their
consciences with respect to their state, and yet
they are not so dissatisfied with it as seriously to
set about a reformation : but they go on from
year to year in a middle course between total
negligence and real religion.

280 ON INDECISION IN RELIGION.

I conceive, my brethren, the state which I have
described to be very common, and particularly in
those places where religion is much insisted on, and
where a total neglect of it is therefore generally
known to be very wrong. Perhaps there may be
some persons of this description in the assembly to
which I am now speaking. Do I not address some
whose consciences already say to them, " Thou
art the man?" Permit me, then, to apply to you
the words of the Prophet, " How long will ye
halt between two opinions? " If the approbation
of men, or if the possession of the things of this
world be the only good, then pursue it with your
whole heart; but if the Lord be God, and if he
demands your entire service, then follow him
faithfully and fully.

I. In treating of this subject, I shall first point
out the evils of your present state.

These are indeed very various. If your heart
is not right with God, however the decency of
your conduct may be respected, or what is
amiable in your character may be admired, I am
constrained to consider you as yet destitute of a
truly religious principle. You want the main
spring which should move and guide your actions.
Two forces operate upon you, which are contrary
to each other; and thus the full effect of each

ON INDECISION IN RELTGION. 281

is obstructed. You are not honest and sincere ;
and without honesty and sincerity, what real good
can be expected? You receive no full enjoyment
from any thing you do. Too much enlightened
to join in those sinful pleasures in which the pro-
fane and dissolute find their happiness, you are
excluded from their enjoyments ; and on the
other hand, you enter too little into the spirit
of religion to derive happiness from that source.
You desire what you cannot have without
contracting guilt : you have no taste for that
which you might enjoy. Miserable state ! what
can be more wretched than to have conscience
perpetually disapproving your conduct, and to
be consequently doing habitual violence to con-
science. Alas ! seldom or never are you cheered
with its encouraging testimony, that all is well
with you — that you have borne a decisive testi-
mony to the Gospel, and faithfully followed the
truth. When does it whisper peace to you, in
the prospect of illness or death, and say, " Fear
not; the Lord whom you have served will be your
defence and your comfort?" On the contrary, it
so speaks that you choose rather to stifle its voice
and to avoid reflection respecting your final state.
Nor is it to conscience only that you have done
violence: the Spirit of God has been grieved;
Jie will not reside in the heart which gives him no

282 ON INDECISION IN RELIGION.

cordial reception ; he will not seal those to the day
of redemption who halt between two opinions, who
serve mammon as well as God, and are unfaithful
to the light which has been communicated to them.
Look, then, into your condition. What progress
have you made in a religious course? Are you
not barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of the
Lord ? Do you not blush to think that there has
been in you no evident improvement, perhaps, for
years together ? Is not even the light you once
enjoyed darkened, so that now your feelings are
benumbed, and religious truths have lost much of
the glory in which at first they appeared ? What
do you experience of the consolations of the
Gospel? — You see others happy in the knowledge
of Christ. They possess peace of conscience :
they have a hope full of immortality : they walk
uprightly with God, and obtain dominion over sin :
you see them holy in their lives and happy in their
deaths. But when do you enjoy such peace?
When do you hold communion with God ? When
do you, through faith in Christ, rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory ? — Do you inquire
the reason why they are so much more happy than
you ? I answer ; It is not because they have more
learning, or a better understanding, or passions
naturally less corrupt: — it is that their hearts are
right with God. Their eye is single, and there-

ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 283

fore their whole body is full of light. Your eye
is not single ; hence all is darkness. You possess
neither light nor hope, nor grace nor peace ;
nor do you derive satisfaction from the world.
Your conduct brings neither credit to your reli-
gious profession, comfort to yourself, nor glory to
God.

Let not those, who thus halt between two
opinions, think that I speak too harshly. The
danger is, lest they speak too smoothly to them-
selves. Great evils, it will be allowed, require
strong remedies; but the evil of their own case
is not seen by them to be great, and therefore
they are content that mere palliatives should be
administered. I wish to shew them that their
state is dangerous in proportion as they imagine
it to be safe. Were they totally profligate, they
might admit the necessity of a total change in
their principles ; but now they conceive a little
amendment to be sufficient, and thus the reme-
dies to which they resort are too weak to do them
any good.

Oh ! let me convince you, that religion requires
the whole heart ; and that if your heart be not
right with God, your conduct cannot fail to be
unworthy of your Christian profession, — your
views of religion will probably be cloudy, and
your souls comfortless, — you will be strangers to

284 ON INDECISION IN UELICION.

that peace which passeth all understanding, and
to that hope which is full of immortality : in a
word, you will be wretched and self-condemned
without either the spirit or the consolations of
religion.

II. What then, it will be said, are we to do?
If you ask this question in all seriousness and
sincerity, I refer you to the words of the
prophet: " How long halt ye between two opi-
nions ? If the Lord be God, follow him ; but if
Baal, follow him." — These words imply, first, that
you should deliberately consider; and secondly,
that you should act according to the result of that
consideration.

1. The prophet requires the children of Israel
to reflect whether Baal or Jehovah were God. —
In like manner would I exhort you seriously to
consider whom you will serve, God or mam-
mon. Our Lord instructed all his disciples to sit
down first, and count the cost before they be-
came his disciples. His service was not to be
without trials and dangers, and therefore they
were to ask themselves beforehand whether they
could bear them, and whether they deemed the
comforts and hopes he set before them a suffi-
cient compensation. Take this advice. Con-
template, on one hand, all the pleasures an^

ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 28.5

advantages which the world can offer : give them
their full value : observe how agreeable they are
to your present nature; how gratifying to your
corrupt appetites : set before you all the earthly
happiness which it is not improbable you may
possess : imagine yourself to meet with great
success, to enjoy an envied prosperity, to escape
disease and calamity, vexation and care, and to
live long in this scene of temporal felicity, not
a cloud obscuring the continual sunshine of your
life : contrive, as Solomon determined to do, that
nothing shall obstruct your happiness ; that your
pleasures shall be too refined to satiate at once,
and that, though you withhold nothing from
yourself which your sight desires, yet you will
not sin so grossly as to incur either loss of
reputation or the accusation of a tormenting
conscience. Is not this as much as this world can
promise ? If it is prudent to give up religion for
any thing upon earth, it surely may be sacrificed
for this. Make, then, the determination. Form
a deliberate plan, according to which you shall
be free from all religious restraint. Let this life
be your portion. Abide by the system you have
established, and follow it resolutely and to the
end. Cast off the fear of God, regard to a
future state, and all apprehension of an here-
after.

286 ON INDECISION IN RELIGION.

But methinks I hear you reply : " This is more
than I can do. What would it profit me, if I were
to gain the whole world, and lose my own soul?
Even were I to have all that I could wish, I must
die, I must appear before God. Ah, what can
be considered as an equivalent for the loss of the
soul ! "

Your reply is indeed just. Yes : it is a truth
which I pray God to engrave in the deepest
lines upon your heart. The man is wretched
beyond description, whatever be his tempo-
ral enjoyments, who has not the blessing of
God. " In his favour is life, and at his right
hand are pleasures for evermore." Contemplate
Dives and Lazarus, and say whether you do not
feel this to be true. Make, then, a fair estimate
of what you will both lose and gain by a life
devoted to God. Place, on the one side, that
loss of some of the pleasures of life and of the
favour of the world to which you will be subject;
calculate the self-denial you must exercise,
the conflict you must sustain ; do not delude
yourself in respect to any of the sacrifices which
must be made ; know their full number and
weight : — but at the same time estimate, on the
other hand, at its true worth, the favour and
blessing of your Creator. Take into your
account the value of that peace of God which

ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 287

will dwell in your soul, the privileges of his
adopted children, the blessedness of drawing
nigh to him in fervent prayer, and of enjoying
frequent and delightful communion with him.
Consider the sweetness of meditation upon his
promises accompanied with a humble hope that they
are yours. View the felicity of being delivered
from the slavery of evil passions, and of enjoying
that liberty which is found in the service of God.
Think of the light of God's countenance lifted
up upon you, of having the Spirit of God for
your Guide and Comforter, and of being partaker
of all the benefits purchased by the precious
blood of the Son of God shed upon the cross.
Think also of being united to all the excellent
and faithful in the whole world, and of being
partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light.
Reflect upon the privilege of having God for
your Father, Christ for your Redeemer, the
Spirit for your Sanctirier, and heaven for your
eternal home. Carry your thoughts beyond this
terrestrial scene, and see what God has laid up for
them that love him ; a happiness pure as heaven,
and durable as eternity. Sum up these various
blessings, and then can you halt between two
opinions? Can there be ground for a moment's
hesitation ? By what sorcery are we so bewitched,
as not to perceive that God alone is the Source

288 ON INDECISION IN RELIGION.

of happiness, and that they are vain who depart
from him ?

Oh, thou Fountain and Source of all that is truly
good ! Thou who didst contrive and form the beau-
tiful frame of this earth, with all that ministers
to the good of man ! Thou who didst create the
happiness of the world of spirits, and who diffusest
by thy presence unspeakable joy amongst the
blessed inhabitants of heaven ! Thou Being, full of
glory, bliss, and goodness, and who alone commu-
nicatest them to others! How art thou injured,
when we imagine that thy service is not perfect
freedom ! Into what intellectual darkness and
depravity are we sunk, when we compare Thy
service with that of an idol, or of this polluted
world ! How is it that we do not intuitively perceive
that obedience to Thee is the true happiness of
man, and that we can have peace in our souls in
proportion only as our will is united to thine !
Dissipate the mists which cloud our sight, and
make us to feel that we are wretched when we
depart from Thee !

III. " If then the Lord be God, follow him."—
If, my brethren, you are convinced, as I hope
you are, and as I am sure you ought to be, that
there is no real peace but in God, determine to
seek your happiness only in his service. How

ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 289

this should be done, I shall endeavour in some
degree to explain.

1. Be persuaded, that those things in which
your corrupt, mind promises you pleasure do hut
deceive you. — They are all splendid delusions :
they are lying vanities. Have you not found
that they have already deluded you ? How long
must you be misled before you will be convinced ?
How often be disappointed before you are per-
suaded that the ways of sin are not happiness,
but death ?

Q. Lav it down as a maxim, that whatever
sacrifice for God appeal's painful, docs hut
appear to be so. — To suffer for Religion's sake is
not so dreadful as you imagine. What though
you encounter the frowns of the world ; the
smiles of God will more than compensate for
them. What though self-denial be your lot; yet
it carries with it its own reward : and self-indul-
gence, as you have found, does not give the feli-
city it promised. Be assured, that God by reli-
gion points out the way to happiness, while Satan
by sin directs you in the road to misery : — shall
you hesitate which path to take ?

3. Be persuaded, that true peace and comfort

are only to he enjoyed by those zvhose hearts

are right zvith God. — To halt between God and

mammon is to possess the comforts of neither,

vol. i. u

290 ON INDECISION IN RELIGION.

but the pains of both. Give yourself, therefore,
up unreservedly to God. Act for him openly
and explicitly. Renounce all temporising maxims.
Shew plainly, that you have cast off the fear of
the world, and the love of it ; that you are not
ashamed to confess Christ before men, nor un-
willing to bear his cross.

4. Remember also, that yon must be consistent.
— Your conduct must be good, as well as your
profession bold. Do not parley with any sin.
Do not love the things of the world, while you
renounce the men of the world. Endeavour not
merely to keep within the verge of salvation,
but advance into the midst of the Church of
Christ. A lukewarm, temporising spirit has
been your bane. To combine a little, and only
a little, religion with much of the world, has
been your fault. Thus you have done the work
of the Lord deceitfully. Now be honest and
sincere in his service.

5. Make a stand against whatsoever y oil knozv
to be wrong. — Reverence your conscience. One
single compliance makes a dreadful inroad upon
your peace. It brings darkness and guilt into
your soul. " Beloved," says St. John, " if our
conscience condemn us not, then have we confi-
dence towards God."

6. And lastly, ivalk in the Spirit. — Look to

ON INDECISION IN RELIGION. 291

Jesus Christ, the Author and Giver of all
spiritual strength. Let all that is past teach
you this great truth, that if left to yourself
you will either have no religion, or that only
from which you will derive a poor lifeless form;
of godliness without spirit or power. Christ
must be all in all to you, and in the power of
his Spirit you must trust. Consider, that he is
made of God unto us wisdom and righteousness,
sanctification and redemption. Severed from
him, you can do nothing. Abide therefore in
him : pray to him ; confide in him ; read the
promises of his word for the confirmation of
your faith. Receive him as your Prophet, Priest,
and King; and then you shall know that your
labour is not in vain in the Lord.

U 2

292

SERMON XVIII.

THE FALL AND PUNISHMENT OF DAVID
ILLUSTRATED.

2 sam. xii. 7.
And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man,

IT is a circumstance worthy of notice in the Sacred
Historians, that, in their accounts of the servants
of God, they record their vices as well as their
virtues: they represent them in their real character,
and attempt neither to palliate their faults nor
to exaggerate their excellencies. The history
of David is, in this respect, remarkable. He is
represented, on the one hand, as zealous in the
service of God, attached to his worship, in no
instance giving way to idolatry, the prevailing sin
of the times, and as honoured for these qualities
with the high title of " the man after God's own
heart." On the other hand, his character is
described as stained with some gross offences ;

THE FALL OF DAVID ILLUSTRATED. 293

and both these offences, with all their aggrava-
tions, and the exemplary punishment which fol-
lowed them, are faithfully recorded.

These sins of David, to which the words of
my text refer, and the effects which followed
them, are the subjects I would propose for our
consideration on the present occasion ; in order
to which, I shall examine in detail several parts
of his history.

I. The circumstances of David previous to his
fall deserve our attention. — For several years he
had been in a state of great trouble. Even his
life had been often endangered. He was hunted
by Saul like a partridge upon the mountains,
and compelled to take up his residence in the
caves of the desert. But it was not in this state
of trial and affliction that he offended. During
this period, we see him exercising, in a remarkable
degree, the faith, the resignation, the humility, the
patience, the meekness of the servant of God.
But now God had brought his troubles to a
close. He had bestowed on him, first, the
crown of Judah, and afterwards that of Israel.
He had blessed him with prosperity on every
side, and had given him " the necks of his ene-
mies." For some years he had been the most
powerful monarch in that quarter of the world.

294 THE FALL AND PUNISHMENT

These were his circumstances when he fell. Now
it would be too much to affirm, that these cir-
cumstances were the direct causes of his sin.
They may, however, have tended indirectly to it,
by inducing that state of the heart in which it
is least qualified to encounter temptation. Such
is often the effect of prosperity. It cherishes a
worldly and sensual taste. It indisposes the soul
for self-denial, watchfulness, and humility ; graces
not called into exercise in prosperity. It relaxes
our application to the Throne of Grace ; for where
there is a fulness of enjoyment, there is likely to
be little ardour in prayer ; where the soul is
satisfied with earthly blessings, it does not aspire
to such as are spiritual and heavenly. Perhaps
prosperity thus operated upon David. Perhaps
he had become less watchful, less fervent in secret
prayer, less afraid of sin> more vain, more confi-
dent, more disposed to the enjoyment of sensual
pleasures. And thus temptations, not formidable
in adversity, at once overwhelmed the soul dis-
ordered and enervated by prosperity.

Surely this statement may teach us to recognize
and lament the depravity of human nature. The
very mercies of God are made the occasions of
sin. Such is man, that he would probably be
less guilty if God were less compassionate. This
statement also may serve to reconcile us to the

OF DAVID ILLUSTRATED. Q95

afflictions which prevail in the world. Perhaps
the removal of these might tend, more than any
other cause, to the increase of sin ; and thus, in
the end, to the final increase and aggravation of
misery.

II. Consider, next, the peculiar temptation
which is suffered to present itself to David,
and lite way in which he encountered it. — This,
my brethren, is a world of trial. Christ himself
was tempted ; and it is in the order of Divine
Providence, that no one should wholly escape it.
Temptation indeed has its uses, as well as its
dangers. Perilous as it is, the Lord can and
will overrule it for good, to those who humbly
and devoutly call upon him. — But let us follow
David through his trial. The temptation arose —
a temptation sudden and great. Now then was
the trial, in what manner he would act; and doubt-
less there had been times innumerable when this
servant of God would at once have fled from
the temptation, and thus have broken its spell.
He would have " resisted the devil," and the
" devil would have fled" from him. But now,
alas ! he gives way to the seduction. He calmly
descends from his palace with a determination to
bring the evil of his heart into act, and to per-
petrate the crime which the tempter had suggested

2J)6 THE FALL AND PUNISHMENT

to him. This we may conceive to have been
the turning point in David's career. No man
can altogether resist the approach of unsolicited
temptation. No man can, perhaps, entirely pre-
vent such temptation laying hold of the imagina-
tion and feelings. But to parley with it, this is
a voluntary act. And it is in this, in its being
a voluntary act, that the guilt of sin consists.
Thus, in the case of David, " lust conceived,
and brought forth sin." The " anointed of the
Lord" is " taken in the snare of the ungodly,"
and goes " like an ox to the slaughter, not con-
sidering that it is for his life."

Oh ! had David paused but for one moment ;
had he retired awhile to deliberate upon his
conduct ; had he but put up one prayer for
Divine help ; had he passed on even to the duties
of his kingly office, so as to divert his thoughts
into a different channel ; the snare might have
been broken, and he have escaped. 13ut, alas !
David is left a melancholy monument of what
the best man may become when he forsakes his
God, and when his God, in consequence, aban-
dons him.

III. Observe, thirdly, the stale of David after-
his jirst sin, and his progress to new offences. —
^Vhat must David have felt after the perpetration

OF DAVID ILLUSTRATED. 29?

i the first crime? Immediately the sense of the
Divine presence, the inspiring hope of Divine
favour and eternal glory, would withdraw from
him. Did he at the hour of prayer, according
to custom, go up to the temple of the Lord,
methinks the holy rites and the sacred place
would reproach him; and say, " We are pure.1'
Perhaps his own sweet Psalms might upbraid him
with that emphatic, question, " Who shall go up
to the house of the Lord, who shall ascend his
holy hill ? Even he that hath clean hands and
a pure heart." — Does he retire to his closet, and
there touch the sacred harp? Alas ! his heart
would be in no tune for the son^s of Zion. —
Would he join those with whom he once " went
in company to the house of God. and took sweet
counsel in Divine things?" The sense of guilt
would leave his tongue dumb, and his heart hard. —
How could he meet his servants, or converse with
those whom he used to reprove or exhort? Alas !
their looks, intently fixed upon him, and meaning
more than could be uttered, would confound him. —
Does he join his partner in sin ? The guilty hours
spent with her would be embittered by reflections
on the ruin he had brought upon her soul. — But
let us return to his history. The consequences
of his crime were becoming visible, and the once
noble and generous David now resorts to low

<29S THE FALL AND PUNISHMENT

artifices to conceal his guilt. He sends for the
injured husband. He treats him with a subtilty
unworthy both of himself and of his loyal subject,
endeavouring to impose upon him a spurious
offspring. How must the noble refusal of the
brave warrior to sleep in his bed while the " ark
of God was abroad," and the armies of Israel
were encamped to fight the battles of his beloved
though treacherous sovereign, have stung him to
the heart ! And doubtless this was but one of
many daggers which his crime had planted in his
bosom. When deceit, however, could not prevail
on Uriah, a fresh crime must compel him ; a crime
at which the pure spirit of the monarch would
once have shuddered. But neither would this
avail : the faithful soldier, even when overcome
with wine, refuses to yield to the royal tempter.
What could be done? Crime leads on to crime.
David, therefore, urged by a dread of detection
(though what was human detection to a man already
judged of God!), determines to add murder to
adultery ; to destroy one of the most faithful of his
servants ; to murder him even whilst shedding his
blood in his own defence ; to murder him by an
act of perfidy of the basest kind !

Here let us pause to consider what David
once was, and what he is now become. Once,
he was the leader of the Lord's people, the first

OF DAVID ILLUSTRATED. 2^9

in the sanctuary, the zealous restorer of Divine
worship, the sweet singer of Israel. Who, that
had once heard his pious melody, his devout
addresses to God, could have conceived that he
would so fall? Had it been predicted, would the
prediction have been credited ? Who shall not
tremble for himself, when he contemplates the fall
of David ?

IV. But let us next pass on to a more
advanced stage of his history. The criminal
schemes of David had now taken effect, and
Uriah could no more disturb the bed of the
seducer and murderer. But when there remained
no obstacle to enjoyment, the Divine Hand sud-
denly arrested him in his guilty career. God
sent Nathan the prophet to convince him of his
guilt.

Let us praise God, my brethren, who was
pleased thus graciously to interpose to save his
servant from everlasting destruction. It doubtless
was an act of the Divine mercy by which he
was rescued ; for would a heart so hardened, a
conscience so seared, a soul so habituated to
sin, have returned spontaneously to God? It
is, however, perhaps, allowable to conceive that
his former prayers might come up as a memorial
before God, and plead for him who now could

300 THE FALL AND PUNISHMENT

not plead for himself. In prayer, we often east
in the seed of an harvest which will be reaped,
perhaps, at some remote period. Who can say,
when he prays to be delivered from temptation;
of which he does not now discern even the distant
approach, how greatly such a prayer may be
needed, and how immediately and mercifully it
may be answered ?

But to return — The mode in which it pleased
God to touch the heart of the offender is
remarkable. To the claims of justice and the
feelings of generosity, David, though greatly
fallen, was not entirely lost. Therefore, in a
parable constructed so as to touch him at these
yet accessible points, the prophet addresses his
conscience, and rouses him even to pass sentence
on himself in pronouncing a severe verdict
on a supposed criminal. What self-deceit is
there in the human heart ! David kindles with
indignation against the man who takes a lamb
from his poor neighbour, and yet remains insen-
sible to the flagrant iniquity of seduction and
murder. At length, however, he opens his
eyes upon his guilt; his heart is softened ; he
stands self-condemned before the prophet. The
account, especially of this part of the transaction,
given by the sacred historian, is very brief. It
might hence appear, that the penitence of David

OF DAVID ILLUSTRATED. 301

was comprised in the single expression, " I have
sinned against the Lord;" and that the prophet
immediately answered, " The Lord also hath put
away thy sin." But it is not unusual in Scripture
to represent one event as immediately following
another, when in fact a considerable time inter-
vened. And this is probably the case here.
There may have been two visits of Nathan to
David, at a considerable interval of time ; — one,
in which the judgment was denounced ; the other,
in which the message of mercy was communicated
to the penitent. However this may have been, we
shall perceive, by comparing this history with the
language of David himself, in the Psalms, that his
repentance was sincere, and his grief profound. In
the Fifty-first Psalm, a psalm of penitence for this
transgression, we find the most humbling confes-
sion of guilt and misery, and the most fervent sup-
plication for mercy. In the Thirty-second Psalm,
written, as it would appear, on the same occasion,
we find him speaking of his " bones waxincr old
through bis weeping all the day long," and of the
hand of the Lord being so heavy upon him, that
his " moisture was turned into the drought of
summer.'1 In any case, we know that neither
David nor any other sinner could return to God
but by the path of deep humiliation and unfeigned
repentance;

502 THE FALL AND PUNISHMENT

V. We come, finally, to notice the dreadful
consequence of this transgression. — Where God
forgives, he does not always wholly spare. He
may so pardon the sin as not to inflict upon the
sinner eternal condemnation, and yet punish him
severely. And such was the case of David.
Besides the wound his soul had sustained, and
which, perhaps, might never afterwards be entirely
healed, we find the remainder of David's life
harassed by perpetual sorrows. He had acted
perfidiously to his servant; and his own son acts
perfidiously to him. He had committed adultery
with Uriah's wife, and Absalom committed adultery
with his wives; David indeed secretly, but Absalom
in the sight of the sun. He had exposed Uriah
to the sword of his enemies ; and behold he him-
self is driven from his throne before his enemies,
and his palace is defiled with blood. Indeed,
from that time the " sword departed not from his
house : " but violence, and dissension, and blood,
rendered the remainder of his life wretched : so
that the inhabitants of Jerusalem, acquainted with
his sin, would doubtless discover the hand of
God in his calamities, and say, — " This hath
God wrought," — for they would perceive that it
was his work.

Having thus passed through the several stages

OF DAVID ILLUSTRATED. 303

of this affecting history, I shall beg, in conclusion,
to fount! upon it a few practical observations.

J. In the first place, it may teach us to guard
against declension in grace, and ivatch against
temptation. — If temptation is urgent, my brethren,
flee from it, and think of the fall of David. Alas !
where is the man that may say, " I shall stand,"
when David fell? Indulge no presumptuous secu-
rity. He who at any preceding period should have
predicted the fall of David, w^ould have been
charged, perhaps, with predicting impossibilities.
Alas ! our strength is in the consciousness of our
weakness, and in earnest prayer to God for help
and support. Let no man rely upon his early
virtues — David the inspired Psalmist fell.

2. A second lesson to be learned from the fall
of David, is that of charily and tenderness in
judging of those who fall. — Call them not, my
brethren, as the world are too apt to call them,
hypocrites. David was no hypocrite — but David
fell. And where is the man, who, if solicited by
strong temptation, and unrestrained by Divine
grace, might not fall to lower depths than
David ?

5. Finally, let us beware of employing the fall
of David as a plea for sin, and of presuming
that such a restoration as his to favour and
holiness will be granted to ourselves, — Before we

304 THE FALL AND PUNISHMENT

can build upon the hope of a restoration such as
his. our circumstances must be those of David.
To sanction such hopes, we should resemble
him in his zeal and love, in the prayers by
which we have supplicated, and the songs by
which we have glorified, our God. And, even
then, have we any security for pardon, anv
promise of mercy, any right to expect that a
prophet should be sent to rouse us to a sense
of our condition? Was such a restoration due
to David? Is God bound or pledged to bring
the sinner back who wilfully departs from him?
Nor is this all : should the pardon be granted,
as in the case of David, and the restoration to
God take place, consider, if your restoration
resemble his, it is no unqualified blessing. His
sorrow was acute. All the billows of the Divine
indignation seemed to pass over him. The arrow
of God pursued him. The " iron entered into
his soul."

Thus, whatever encouragement the story of
David may supply to the real penitent, (and to
him, blessed be God, it does give encouragement),
it affords none to the sinner who, presuming upon
the Divine mercy for restoration and pardon,
daringly violates the Divine commandments.

In a word, the whole of this history exactly
harmonizes with every other part of the Sacred

OF DAVID ILLUSTRATED. 305

Record. It displays to us the fallen and destitute
condition of man — his exposure to temptation —
his rapid progress in sin, if left to himself — his
immeasurable obligation to God, if restored and
saved — and, finally, the unchangeable character
of God as a hater even of that sin which he may
ultimately pardon.

vol. i. x

306

SERMON XIX.

ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL.

james iii. 5.
Behold, how great a matter a little fire k bullet h !

J HE design of the proverbial expression which
the Apostle here uses, is to intimate the impor-
tance of little things, which are apt to be despised
and neglected, as being of little or no conse-
quence; whereas, in the end, they are productive
of the greatest effects. It is a great point of
wisdom to know how to estimate little things.
Of those which are evidently great, every one
can see the importance : but true wisdom looks
at these great objects before they have arrived
at their full size. She considers, that it is
principally in this earlier state that they come
under the power of man, and can be arranged,
modified, increased, or extinguished at his plea-
sure ; whereas, in a more advanced stage, they

ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL. 307

set at defiance all his efforts. On the contrary >
it is the part of folly to wait till evils have at-
tained their maturity before they are attacked ; for
then, that which might at first have been easily
crushed, becomes irresistible.

Behold a conflagration! With what dreadful
fury it rages ! The largest houses are devoured
by it in a moment ! The strongest fall victims to
its uncontrollable power ! Yet this fire, which
now resists the united wisdom and power of man,
originated from a small spark, and might at first
have been extinguished by a child.

Look also at yonder tree, which is now so firmly
rooted in the earth, which rears its lofty head so
high, and bears its flourishing honours so thick
upon it ! It was once only a small seed : it was
then a tender plant, so slender and so weak that
the foot of accident might have crushed it, the
overshadowing of a weed might have suffocated
it, or the hand of negligence or wantonness have
torn it up. Thus does Nature point out to us
the growth of the strongest things from weak and
almost imperceptible beginnings.

Behold also the traveller ! He is at a long dis-
tance from the end of his journey. A step seems
to be of no consequence to him. For what is
a step, compared with the many miles which he
has to travel ? But it is by these successive steps

308 ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL.

he is carried on, till at last he arrives at his
desired home. Mountains, vallies, and plains,
the prospect of which even fatigues the eye, are all
at length surmounted by the constant application
of those little steps which appear at first to bear no
proportion to the immeasurable distance.

Such a stress does the established order of
nature teach us to lay upon little things. And
if we look into the moral world, we shall find
that they are not there to be considered as of
less importance.

Behold an abandoned and hardened murderer,
who is about to receive from the hands of public
justice the ignominious punishment due to his
crimes ! You survey with astonishment and terror
his vices; you are shocked while you consider his
daring profligacy, his furious passions, his avowed
defiance of God and man, his hardness of heart,
and his universal depravity. Would you know by
what means he arrived at such a dreadful pitch of
sin? It was one little step taken after another,
which brought him to it. He began with neg-
lecting the worship of God, proceeded to break-
ing the Sabbath, resisted the remonstrances of
conscience, indulged his passions without con-
troul ; to gratify them, he pilfered and stole : one
act led on to another : one crime prepared the
way to another : till at; length he became such

ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL.. 309

a monster of criminality, that it was no longer
consistent with the safety of mankind that he
should be permitted to live. But would you
know what was the seed which produced this
evil fruit; what was the principle which uni-
formly operated upon him, and induced him to
risk the loss of his wealth, his reputation, and
his life : it was this, the desire of present gratifi-
cation. Yes, it was this, which is thought of no.
consequence by almost all mankind ; which is
even cherished by many, as the chief source of
pleasure; which, when it once prevails and over-
comes the bounds of reason and religion, produces
those dreadful effects that leave no hope of
amendment, and almost necessarily terminate in
irresistible ruin. Behold how great a matter a
small fire kindleth!

Contemplate also the unhappy woman whose
licentious conduct has banished her from the so-
ciety of her own sex, and whose scandalous pro-
fligacy and shameless impudence make her shun-
ned by all but the most worthless of the other.
In her countenance and conduct appears not so
much as a single trace of the amiable graces
which should characterize her sex. See her
brought to a state of sin, which excites disgust
even in the wicked ; and to a state of misery,
shame, poverty, and ruin, which shock even the

310 ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL.

hardest heart! To what shall we attribute this
dreadful accumulation of crime and wretchedness?
What powerful cause has produced it? Perhaps
it may have been one, the evil of which is little
suspected. It is, indeed, a small spark which
kindleth such a fire. It may have been only
the love of admiration. That vanity which is
seldom considered as any crime, which is even
cherished while it does not become immoderate,
as being in some respects pleasing ; that vanity
which teaches the arts of captivating, which stu-
dies the effect of dress, and is employed in adorn-
ing and decking the person ; that vanity is the
author of this wide-extended ruin. It is the little
seed from which it has grown and arrived to such
dreadful luxuriance. It is true, it does not al-
ways produce such deplorable effects ; but we
are to consider its tendency, if it were not re-
strained and counteracted as it generally is. The
fear of shame, the opposition of better principles,
the authority of those who are revered or dreaded,
the clashing of self-interest or evil passions, or
the wholesome discipline of adversity, check in
many cases its luxuriance, and stifle its growth:
so that its proper tendency and effect are not
discerned. Still the eye of Wisdom, and the
light of Religion discover them, and shew all the
evils which afterwards may appear, if circum?

ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL. Sit

stances are favourable to their growth ; which are
already contained in it, and, if suffered to expand,
will presently shoot forth and bear fruit.

Many useful remarks will present themselves
to the reflecting mind upon this subject; some of
which I shall venture to set before you, being
assured that they are of considerable importance,
as they relate to our conduct as men and as
Christians.

1. Let me remark, then, that evil passions, in
their early stage, do not wear the disgusting
appearance which they afterwards do when they
are canned to excess. — The buds even of the
most noxious weeds appear pretty. The most
savage animals, while yet young, only amuse us
with their gambols as they lie in ambush for their
prey or spring upon it. But however harmless
their mirth may then be, it is easy to perceive in
it the spirit which by and by will tear to pieces,
with fury, the quivering victim. Pride and va-
nity, self-will and anger, lust and deceit, — all
of them when yet in their infant state, exerting
themselves only upon trifles and doing no material
injury, — appear to have something pleasing in the
eyes of the world, and, instead of being concealed,
are often brought forward in order to produce
admiration. Thus will unthinking parents often
laugh at the vanity of their children, and please

312 ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL.

them, and amuse themselves by gratifying it. But,
in the eye of a true Christian, every vice is still
sinful, and ought to be checked. He considers its
principle, which is equally corrupt whatever the
fruits of it may be. He does not judge by the
effects it has yet produced, but by those which
it has a tendency to produce when it meets with
no interruption ; and he considers the principle
as often the more dangerous, because it is not yet
attended with any effects that are strikingly bad,
— is then less suspected, and likely, therefore, to
be less resisted.

2. I observe further, that the foundation of all
great vices is laid in those little things ivhich
often are scarcely noticed, or scarcely appear to
need correction. — It is by little things that habits
are formed and principles become established.
They may be considered as little in one sense,
as producing immediately no very extensive
mischief; but they are by no means little, if we
consider the effect they have in producing the
general habit, and in establishing those principles
which lead to the worst consequences. Little
things may be considered as indications of a bad
habit and corrupt principles; and in this view,
they are by no means unimportant. They resemble
the spots or eruptions which sometimes appear
in the human body, which are of no material

ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL. 313

importance in themselves, but are of great con-
sequence when they are considered as indicating
a general unsoundness of constitution. It should
be remembered, that principle is as truly sacrificed
by little offences as by great ones.

3. I remark also, that little sins are the steps
by which we travel on to greater acts of trans-
gression.— No one becomes extremely wicked at
once. This would be as unnatural as it would
be to travel a great distance without a number of
intermediate steps. The gradations of sin are
innumerable, and almost imperceptible. Now
temptation has, in general, but little force, except
when it solicits to those sins which have often
before been committed, or which are but a single
degree beyond what we have been accustomed
to commit. And thus persons are brought, not
suddenly, but gradually and imperceptibly, to
practices and principles which would once have
astonished and shocked them.

4. It follows therefore, that little sins are zvkat,
most of all, ought to be attended to and resisted. —
Watch against the beginnings. The spark may
soon be extinguished, but the conflagration rages
with irresistible fury. The first channel by which
confined waters run over their banks may soon
be stopped ; but by and by it becomes a torrent
which tears down the mounds, and spreads itself

314 ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL.

with desolating fury. Here therefore religion will
most successfully operate, in restraining at first,
in preventing, in checking the evil disposition as
soon as it arises ; in watching against those little
sins by which corrupt principles and corrupt
dispositions are chiefly gratified and nourished.
Here also Religion chiefly employs itself. Morality
and the laws of men restrain from the commission
of gross vices : on these accounts, a man will not
steal or murder : but true grace discovers itself
in opposing not those evils only, but all kinds
of coveting, all kinds of hatred. It is the heart
which true grace rectifies. It begins with
cleansing and purifying the principles of action
and the fountain whence all good or evil proceeds.
The real Christian .considers himself as bound
to serve God with his spirit. A clean heart and
a new spirit he seeks to obtain. He cannot be
contented with a practice which, according to
the usual standard of the world, is considered as
blameless, while it permits worldliness of heart,
love of filthy lucre, a desire of the applause of
men, and a prevailing habit of self-indulgence.
True grace discovers itself in resisting these,
which are the parents and nurses of other sins.
The Scripture says, " The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom ; a good understanding have
.all they that do thereafter." Now this wisdom

ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL. 315

&nd good understanding are very much displayed
in observing and checking these common, and, as
they are too often termed, little offences, which
escape the notice and censure of others, though
they are in truth only the issue of the most corrupt
part of a most corrupt nature. It is the excellence
of God's law, that it is so spiritual as to admit
of none of these. Human laws meddle only
with the pernicious effects of evil principles ; but
the law of God goes to the principle itself, and
requires that to be mortified and annihilated.
It admits of no composition with it. It charges
with guilt that vanity which gratifies itself by the
superior manner in which it has displayed some
trifling accomplishment, and that pride which is
even thought decent and respectable. These before
God it accounts the symptoms of corruption and
depravity. That emulation, which with many is
the only source of energy, and which has been
too inadvertently encouraged, it condemns as a
work of the flesh, the offspring of false views,
base ends, and corrupt motives. That inordinate
desire of pleasing, which is often thought an
essential part of the accomplishments of edu-
cation, it censures as an undue preference of man
to God, and frequently the cause of a sacrifice of
truth to the prejudices and vices of men. That
self-will, which wears the honourable guise of

316 ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL.

freedom and independence, it condemns as ofteu
originating in a proud spirit which can brook no
controul, and which is impatient of submission.
In these and in many other such things, pointed
out by the word of God to be sinful, and
evidently originating, when traced up to their
source, in a selfish gratification of the corrupt
appetites of the flesh, the Christian sees and
laments the depravity of his nature. In resisting
these consists a great part of his employment.
Here is his self-denial exercised. Here is the true
spiritual warfare experienced, — the flesh against
the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. He
says not of those transgressions which are passed
over by the rest of the world without notice,
that they are little sins or trifles: but he looks
upon them as serious indications of a corrupt
nature, which must be renewed ; as cherishing and
encouraging that corrupt nature, and strengthening
its strength; and as leading on and habituating
the mind to still greater and greater degrees of
guilt and corruption. There is not a vice which
is so destructive and odious as to be beheld with
universal abhorrence but we may trace in our-
selves the seeds of it, or even the plant growing
up ; and it is the business of religion to eradicate
it, before it is advanced to its full size and
strength.

Otf THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL. 317

5. This subject presents useful lessons Of i?i-
struction to parents. — They form the minds of
their children. And it is too much to be feared,
that many of those unhappy persons who have
been brought to ruin have been brought to it
chiefly by the operation of those very principles
which their parents instilled into them and en-
couraged. From them, perhaps, they imbibed
the love of dress and the desire of admiration.
Their parents nursed and fostered their infant
vanity. From their parents they received the
habits of indulgence which led them to consider
wholesome restraint as an intolerable evil. By
them they were encouraged to display their
childish wit at the expense of the follies or infir-
mities of their neighbours, and taught to cultivate
an uncharitable or deceitful disposition. The
parents added fuel to their dawning resentments,
adopted their trivial quarrels, and thus taught
them malice and revenge. From their parents
they imbibed the love of money: and by them
were taught to value others, not according to
their real excellence, but according to their wealth
and the advantages to be expected from them.
From their parents they learned to make no
account of religion, and to consider the Bible as
a dull, useless, or a dangerous work. And can
parents be surprised, if, after the pains they have

318 ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL.

thus taken to implant and to cherish evil principles
in their children ; can they be surprised, if they
reap the fruits of it themselves ? Can they be sur-
prised, if by and by they see their children im-
mersed in pleasure and sensuality, profligate and
licentious, influenced by no good principles, or
mainly instigated by the spirit of gain? Can they
wonder if they find their children disobedient and
irreverent to themselves, and injurious and cruel to
others ? Can they wonder if they see them live
disliked and die unpitied? Surely these are but
the consequences which might be expected from
such an education. It was formed upon a plan
which tended to cherish and cultivate vice ; and
the pains taken could not be expected to be other-
wise than productive in a soil which is of itself
so fruitful of evil, that we see the wisest and
most judicious methods of instruction and the
most pious education not always able to era-
dicate it.

6. The consideration of the subject of my (lis-
course should lead us also to deep humiliation on
account of our great corruption, and to earnest
prayers for the grace of Christ to pardon and
to cleanse us. — Persons who have superficial
views of their duty, and low apprehensions of
the evil of sin, are ready to look upon themselves
as tolerably moral, while they are free from

ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL. 319

gross vices ; and therefore they regard themselves
as needing no repentance but what is occasional,
no habitual watchfulness, no constant prayer, no
daily endeavours to obtain the grace of God.
But let those little sins which are every hour com-
mitted, those seeds of vice which are continually
springing up in the heart, those ebullitions of a
corrupt fountain from which the life is never
free, be taken into the account, and we shall
perceive the need we have to be earnest in our
prayers to be sanctified and to be pardoned.
Alas ! when nothing appears wrong to the super-
ficial observer, all may be wrong within. The
state of the heart, the general system, may be
totally wrong and corrupt. Every principle of
action may be polluted. The fear of man, the
love of applause, the desire of self-indulgence, the
thirst of lucre, may be the springs and the only
springs of action. One may succeed another,
occupy the whole heart, and influence the whole
conduct, without its being directed for one hour
by the pure principle of love to God or real
benevolence to man. Here in the heart is the
lamentable power of corruption seen ! Here we
have need to be cleansed ! The tree must be
made good, before good fruit can be expected :
the fountain must be made sweet, before its waters
can be so. Here, therefore, we must begin. We
must pray to God to give us a new heart. We

320 ON THE GRADUAL PROGRESS OF EVIL.

must be engrafted into Christ Jesus, the living
vine; and, by union to him, receive a new power
to bring forth new fruit.

7. And as ice see evil arrive at its perfection
by small gradations, so let us remember that good
advances in the same manner. — We should not
despise little things, either in what is good or bad ;
for, as the apocryphal writer observes, " he that
despiseth little things shall fall by little and little."
The character is formed very much from the repe-
tition of little acts ; and a progress in religion is-
made by small successive steps, none of which
ought to be despised. And be not discontented,
because you cannot at once arrive at those things
which are most excellent. To attempt too great
a height at once often tends to discouragement.
Try to do a little, and that little will prepare you
for more. Take the first step, and that will pre-
pare the way for a second. Use the same rules of
prudence in religion which you find useful in the
ordinary affairs of life. In this respect, imitate
the children of the world, who are often wiser in
their generation than the children of light. Above
all, seek to obtain that holy principle which respects
God, and which acts out of love to his name and
gratitude to him for his goodness. This will rec-
tify the whole of your conduct, and each successive
step you will then take will lead you nearer and
nearer to Him who is the Source of all good.

321

SERMON XX.

THE NATURE AND VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE.

psalm lxxxix. 47.

Remember how short my time is. Wherefore hast

thou made all men in vain f

I HE Psalmist composed the psalm of which
the words just read are a part, under very great
depression of mind. Disappointed in hopes which
appeared to be founded on the promises of God,
and reduced to a state of the lowest misery and
distress, he surveys, as was natural, the miseries
of human life, and considers its shortness and its
vanity. Impatient of the sufferings allotted to
him, he at length breaks out into the prayer of my
text, " How long, Lord, wilt thou hide thyself?
Forever? Shall thy wrath burn like fire? Re-
member how short my time is. Wherefore hast
thou made all men in vain? " " Oh spare the rod

VOL. I. Y

322 ON THE NATURE AND

of thine anger ! Consider how short my life is,
even at the longest ; how much more so under
thy punishment! For we consume away in thine
anger, and perish under thy wrathful displeasure.
Wherefore hast thou made all men in vain, as
they appear to be, if their life, vain and short as
it is, is still to be abridged and rendered more
miserable by thy severe chastisements?"

The affections upon which such an address
is founded, are very natural to a person in the
situation of the Psalmist. It is not to be wondered
at if he should see every object through a gloomy
medium, and, beholding the shortness of life and
the vanity of it, should be ready to conclude that
all men were made " in vain," or " for nought," as
it is rendered in the old translation.

In another point of view, however, short as
human life is, it does not appear to be in vain.
On the contrary, the most important purposes
may be answered by it. We shall therefore divide
this discourse into two parts, correspondent to
these two different views of the value of the life
of man.

I. If we consider life, then, as it is in itself,
and form our estimate of its value only by the
degree of temporal enjoyment it is capable of
affording, it will appear to be very vain indeed ;

VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE. 323

and man will almost seem to be made for
nothing.

1 . Consider how short life is ! — It is represented
in Scripture by every image which can denote
things fugitive and transitory. It is as a dream; as
a watch in the night ; as a shadow that departeth ;
as grass which in the morning groweth up and
is green, and in the evening is cut down, dried up,
and withereth. All that is certain of life is what
is already past. And how short does that part of
it appear ! Ten or twenty years, when we look
forward to them, appear to be of long duration:
but when we review them as already spent, every
mind is struck with the justice of the reflection,
how soon are they gone ! And at the end of the
longest life, long as it may appear to the young
and thoughtless, yet the man of fourscore years,
who from experience knows how to make a better
estimate of its duration, will tell you, that to him
it appeareth only as yesterday that is past.

2. Consider its uncertainty. — Short as the
period of life is when extended to its natural
termination, how often do we see that period
shortened, perhaps forcibly ; broken suddenly,
without warning, in the midst of apparent health
and strength, which promised the continuance of
many years ! Thus man dies, and his expectations
perish. His schemes and plans for the successful

y 2

3<24 ON THE NATURE AND

completion of which years were still wanting, as
years had already been spent in promoting them,
are all cut off in a moment; cut off as it were by
accident, and not through any want of prudence oc,
attention on his part ; without any regard to the
useful or beneficent designs which he was employed
in advancing. Alas ! how little does death consider
our plans ! The deep-laid schemes of villainy, or
the righteous purposes of the just; the enjoyment
of long-sought pleasure just within the reach, and
the honest endeavour to provide for a numerous
and indigent family, are, with equal abruptness,
broken off and for ever terminated by his resist-
less stroke. Who can say of any project that he
has formed, that he shall accomplish it? Who
can say, To-morrow I will do this, or will go
there ? For who knoweth what to-morrow may
bring forth?

3. Survey also the sufferings to which life is
exposed in this short existence. — Take notice of
the natural calamities which belong to man ; the
diseases of which the seeds are sown in his frame;
the various accidents to which he is liable, and
from which no prudence or foresight can exempt
him. Look at the history of man, and see what
Tie suffers from his own species. Observe the
dreadful effects of wars and the barbarous deso-
lations of which we read in history, llecollect

VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE. 3C25

what cruel tyrants there have been in the world,
who have been permitted to sport, as it were, with
the pangs of their fellow-creatures. Think how
many have been undone by unjust laws, judges,
or witnesses; what terrible proscriptions and cruel
persecutions have wasted mankind. Indeed, the
history of the world is little else than the history
of a series of distressing and cruel events ; and
a very large part of it, however things may be
palliated and gilded over, can scarcely be read
by a benevolent man without astonishment and
horror. In short, what spectacles of misery present
themselves every where to the eye, which, if this
life be the whole of existence, force us to say, Why
hast thou made all men in vain !

4. Look also at the business of life, the very
end for which most men live, and the same re-
flection will forcibly recur. — I say nothing of the
labour and discipline which are necessary in order
to form us for active life, the difficulty with which
proper employments and stations are obtained, the
hardships we may have to encounter, the frauds
practised upon us, the risks we run, and the dis-
appointments we meet with, even in the pursuit
of a bare subsistence. Of these I say nothing,
though in truth they are felt very acutely : years of
labour and exertion, of prudence and forethought,
cannot be utterly lost, as they often are, without
the most painful emotions.

326 ON THE NATURE AND

But what is the business of life in itself? What
is the end for which so much toil is endured, so
many cares and anxieties suffered ? Simply this ;
to go on suffering the same anxieties and cares,
and enduring the same toil. How great a part
of mankind is doomed to labour hard, in order to
gain by the sweat of their brow — what ? Merely
provision, in order that life may go on, and the
same round may be continued. And even those in
more affluent circumstances ; those whose labours
have been successful, and who have acquired all
that their hopes could aspire to, what have they
obtained ? Still their one great object is to carry
on life ; to continue the enjoyment of health ; to
guard against its decays ; to refresh the body with
rest and with food, that existence may be pro-
longed in the same unvarying round. And may
it not be asked, Is this all? Is the repetition,
year after year — the same succession of food, and
rest, and solicitude, and vanity, and short and
mixed pleasures, and hopes, and disappointments;
— is this life? How many possessed of all the
advantages which fortune could give them, yet
•weary of them all, have exclaimed, Wherefore
hast thou made all men in vain !

II. Such reflections as these naturally occur
to every person who sits down to survey human
life, and to compute the sum of its value. He

VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE. 327

will consider the large proportion of time in child-
hood and youth necessary to prepare us for life,
the amount of what is consumed in taking the rest
and food which our bodies require, the quantity
employed in procuring necessary subsistence and.
the conveniencies and accommodations of life; and
after all these are reckoned up, these means of
living, rather than life itself, how little of it remains !
What a shadow is life ! Lord, wherefore hast
thou made all men for nought ?

But however obvious such a view of life may
be, and however natural such reflections upon it,
that view is imperfect and those reflections unjust.
However naturally that view of it upon which such
reflections are founded, may present itself to those
who esteem the enjoyments of this life as their
only hope, and who have met with disappoint-
ments in it, it is nevertheless partial and defective.
Let us look at life in another point of view ; let
us consider it as giving us an opportunity of doing
the will of God; let us take it in connection with
a future state ; let us associate it with the re-
demption effected by our blessed Saviour ; and
then life, short as it is, and uncertain as it is, will
acquire a new value, and we shall see that God
has not made man in vain.

1. He has not made all men in vain, if we con-
sider the value of doing the will of God. — What

328 ON THE NATURE AND

is life? Is it merely eating and drinking, and en-
joying sensual pleasures? Is that to be called
life in man which he shares in common with the
brute beasts that perish ? Do we so forget our
dignity ? Why have we an immortal soul capable
of knowing God and serving him ? Here then an
important view of life opens itself to us. We live
not to eat, and to drink, and to labour; but we eat
and drink, and labour, in order to live ; that is,
to fulfil the will of our great Creator and to glorify
his name. Now this is done when his will is
made the chief rule of our lives, and his glory
the end of our actions ; when we exercise dispo-
sitions proper to our stations in life and agreeable
to the duties we owe to him. In this light the
events of life are comparatively of little import-
ance : it is the duties they call forth which are
really so. In this light it is indifferent whether
a man be rich or poor, fortunate or unfortunate
in life. These are only circumstances ; these are
trials to call forth the exercise of proper dispo-
sitions. These are only means to produce an end,
and that end is to honour and glorify God by
resignation and trust in adverse circumstances ;
by humility and thankfulness in prosperity ; by a
diligent discharge of those duties which God has
ordained in every situation and station in life. In
this view, life is not to be regarded as given in vain^

VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE. 529

because we meet with hardships and disappoint-
ments : let the great object of life be to serve
God, and these hardships become only secondary
considerations, such as are indeed of little moment
compared with the great end of life.

This, my brethren, we must own, is a just view
of the subject, when we consider it in connection
with the powers and capacities which God has
given us. But are we acting according to this
view? To what, then, are our desires and hopes
chiefly directed ? To the attainment of the things
of this life? To procure all the means for carrying
on life with more comfort, and less inconvenience,
and less danger of suffering ? Alas ! besides that
this is a vain expectation which we cannot realize,
we are mistaking the very end of life ; we are
wrong in the very foundation on which we build.
What else would a brute beast, that perishes,
desire? No : propose to yourself another end of
life, an end unconnected with circumstances and
events which it is not in your power to controul ;
propose to yourself the fulfilment of God's will ;
study that will; let it be your object to do it;
and then there will be no reason to complain
that God has made his creatures in vain.

2. Consider also human life in reference to a fu-
ture state, and its importance will rise upon us. —
If, indeed, God had terminated our existence with

350 ON THE NATURE AND

the present life, we might have been ready to
exclaim, Wherefore has God made man in vain !
But when we carry our view forward to that
eternal state of which this life is but the beginning,
and in comparison of which it is but a moment ;
when we reflect that the soul which quits the dying
body, and the body dissolved into corruption, shall
again be united and shall live for ever and ever
in a new state ; when we consider that this eternal
life will be either miserable or happy according
to the manner in which we spend our short ex-
istence here ; surely this life is not in vain : it
becomes of infinite importance, — an importance
proportioned to that infinite happiness or woe with
which it is necessarily connected.

Alas ! how short-sighted is man ! How blind
to points of the first importance! How eagerly
are all his thoughts, his hopes, and fears engaged
in forming plans and contriving schemes for the
enjoyment of to-morrow, or of the next year, or
of the next fifty years ! It matters not which we
take : they are all expressions of the same mean-
ing; they are all equally as a moment of time with
respect to eternity. But, alas ! what folly is it
that with such care about the body which is
dying, the world which is perishing before our
eyes, time which is perpetually disappearing, we
should so little care about that eternal state in

VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE. 331

which we are to live for ever, when this dream
is over! When we shall have existed ten thousand
years in another world, where will be all the
cares and fears and enjoyments of this ? In what
light then shall we look upon the things which
now transport us with joy, or overwhelm us with
grief? What trifles will they all appear ! And now
they appear comparatively trifles to the mind which
duly contemplates and realizes eternity.

Eternity ! Awful word ; at the sound of which
we awake as out of sleep ! Eternity ! Before its
view, how do the councils of princes, the plots
of ambition, the revolutions of states, and the
fates of empires, shrink into nothing ! Ye immor-
tal souls, whom I address upon the most important
subject, ponder, I pray you, upon that eternal
state to which you are swiftly carried by the flood
of time ! You see your fellow-creatures around
you dying; you take a hasty glance at the shifting
scenes around you, the harmony and end of which
you see not; you ask, Why was man made in vain;
why does he come into life only to be dissolved
again? Alas! you mistake; you see man going
out at the gate of death, but you see not the
extent of country behind. All the busy tribes of
men whose memorial has long perished here ;
these all are living in another state, whose happi-
ness and misery, objects and attainments, are upon

332 ON THE NATURE AND

a scale infinitely greater than all the things of
this transitory life. And is it so, indeed, that your
happiness in that state depends upon your life
here ? Who, then, can speak in terms of sufficient
emphasis of the value of this life? Awake thou
that sleepest! Awake thou that dr earnest of days
and years ; awake to contemplate ages ! Thou
that lookest at a family, a sect, a tribe, survey as-
sembled worlds ! Thou that art oppressed with
the pains and aches and weakness of a vile body,
behold a spiritual body pure and free from infir-
mity ! Thou that buryest all thy hopes in the
earth upon which thy foot treadeth, see what a
state of immortality and glory remains after this
earth is burned up, and the elements have been
dissolved with fervent heat ! Oh, look to that state ;
let all your hopes center in attaining a happiness
which only then begins to exist, when all the
schemes of worldly greatness and worldly bliss
are extinguished, to live no more !

3. Survey human life also in connection with
the work of Redemption, and we shall find that
man is not made for nought. — Are the days of
our pilgrimage here few and evil ; and does
the life of man seem to be only a mixture of
vanity and vexation ? Yet see how the glory of
Christ the Redeemer, and of God through him
are connected with it. What a value is stamped

VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE. S33

upon life ; what dignity upon the world, when we
behold the only Son of God taking upon him that
life, and coming into that world ! Are men made
in vain, when the only-begotten of the Father gave
his life as a ransom for theirs ? Here indeed we
see the honour of man : he may become one with
Christ, and Christ with him. Much as his life is
chequered with vicissitudes, degraded by mean-
ness, defiled by pollution, burdened with cares,
oppressed with sorrow, and abridged by death ;
it is more than ennobled by the solicitude which
the Almighty has expressed for it; by the bounty
of Heaven, which daily ministers to its necessities ;
by the love of Christ, who gave his own life a
ransom for sinners ; by the offices he undertakes
in behalf of those who make application to him ;
by the means of grace provided for the benefit of
their souls ; by the promises of the Gospel held
out to them ; and by the influences of the Holy
Ghost shed abroad in their hearts. Is man, then,
made in vain who has the Spirit of God for his
Guide, the Son of God for his Redeemer, the
Almighty for his Father, the Gospel for his sup-
port, and heaven for his home ? No : he is blessed
and favoured indeed. He is honoured with pri-
vileges and blessings resembling those of angels.
But what am I saying? Are men in general so
honoured ? Alas ! with respect to many, we must

334s ON THE NATURE AND

still say, Wherefore hast thou made all men in
vain ? But in what state are we, my brethren ?
Is it our care to be found united to Christ by a
living and true faith ? Is it the great employment
of our lives to be partakers of that grace and
peace which he communicates ? Have we re-
nounced the world, with its pomps and vanities ?
Do we say in our hearts, Away with its glittering,
perishing follies ; I seek more substantial blessings;
I have an immortal soul, I seek its salvation ; I
am a sinner, and I labour to be delivered from
my sins ; I want to enjoy communion with God
my Creator, and to be made meet for a better
world above ? If such are our hopes and desires,
we are really living to great ends ; we are enjoying
life in the only sense in which it deserves that
name. Without this we have still to learn the
very end for which life was given to man ; for
which he was created and placed in the world.

Lastly, is life of so much importance, and yet
is it sliort also ? What an additional value does
it acquire even from this circumstance, which
seems at first sight to diminish its worth ! In this
view, a day, an hour, is of great importance. If
life is so uncertain ; if almost the only thing
certain in life is that we shall die, and we know not
how soon ; what manner of persons ought we to
be ? — Are we laying this to heart ? Do we say to

VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE. 335

ourselves, " Life is too important to be trifled with:
too valuable to be wasted in things which have no
importance beyond the present period ? I have
a great work to do, and little time in which to
perform it. Death is at hand : the Judge is at
the door. Oh, let me improve the precious though
fleeting moments ! They may be improved so as
to make me partaker of the favour of God, and
of eternal happiness." Short as life is, it is long
enough to answer this purpose; and when it has
done this, it matters not how soon it is terminated.
It will be continued to greater advantage in another
state. Happy is the person who acts under these
views. They are the views which Christianity
gives of this world and this life. May it so teach
us to number our days, that we may apply our
hearts unto wisdom !

336

SERMON XXL

THE CHRISTIAN'S STATE OF PILGRIMAGE
ON EARTH.

HEBREWS xi. 15.

And confessed that they were strangers and
pilgrims on the earth.

IT must be allowed, that the Patriarchs and other
members of the Jewish Church, befere the Chris-
tian aera, did not enjoy so clear and distinct a view
of the nature and blessedness of the life to come
as we do ; for it was Christ who Mas to bring life
and immortality to light. But, on the other hand,
it is evident, that the dispensations of God with
many of them were such as tended to give them
just views of the vanity and emptiness of this
world, and to teach them to desire earnestly that
happier state of future existence which was but ob-
scurely revealed to them. Of this we have a striking

THE CHRISTIAN'S STATE OF PILGRIMAGE. 337

proof in the course of life which God appointed
for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They had been
called out of idolatry, as one chosen family to
whom God manifested himself with peculiar
favour. They therefore eminently appeared as a
light shining in the midst of the general darkness
which overspread the rest of the world ; and their
posterity of the Jewish Church, who received
their most distinguished privileges through them,
and, on their account, would naturally look up
to them, and to every circumstance of their lives,
with peculiar attention and reverence. To what
course of life, then, did God call their father
Abraham, his chosen servant ? Was it to a life
of ease, comfort, and enjoyment ? Did he choose
for him the most delightful country, subject it to his
dominion, and on his account bless it with double
fertility? No: Abraham had no land assigned
to him, or country which he could call his own.
So far different was his lot that he was command-
ed to quit for ever his native land, his house, his
family, his connections, his countrymen ; and to
wander about in a strange land, dwelling in tents
without a fixed or certain habitation. Surely the
moral to be learned from this appointment of
Providence could not be obscure. It was evi-
dently the design of the Almighty that it should
for ever impress on the hearts of his people a

VOL. 1. z

358 • on the christian's state

persuasion, that it was not in this world that they
were to seek their happiness ; since Abraham, the
friend of God, and the distinguished heir of his
blessing, had not found it a place of enjoyment;
— but that, sitting loose to this life and all its
comforts, as well as all its cares, they were to
look forward to another state in which the effects
of the Divine favour would be more eminently
conspicuous. Had there been no blessings but
those of a temporal kind, surely the Canaanites
among whom Abraham sojourned, had been
happier than the venerable Patriarch favoured by
God himself. They had houses and lands, cities
and towns, a country and a people. Abraham
had none of these. The conclusion is evident. He
could not but " look for a city which hath foun-
dations, whose builder and maker is God ;" for he
that so lives confesses that he is a stranger and
pilgrim upon earth, and declares plainly that he
seeks " a country. And truly, if he had been
mindful of that country from whence he came
out," if he had thought it so desirable a thing to
have the blessings of this life, " he might have
had opportunity to return; but now he desires
a better country, that is, a heavenly; wherefore
God is not ashamed to be called his God, for
he hath prepared for him a city."

But did not God afterwards give the descen-

OF PILGRIMAGE ON EARTH. 339

dants of Abraham a country, — a land flowing with
milk and honey, and abounding in cities, high
and fenced up to heaven? It is true — he did; but
he had first instilled the principle, and given the
rule, according to which they were to enjoy it.
He had trained them to consider all worldly
possessions as worthless, when compared with the
blessings of Heaven. Thus they were taught to
enjoy as those that enjoyed not ; and still to con-
sider themselves as strangers and pilgrims upon
earth.

What God teaches to one man he teaches
to all. Truth is not to be confined to an indi-
vidual or to a tribe ; it belongs to the universe,
and is applicable to all mankind ; and when
God imparts it in a remarkable manner to any
particular person, it is that by his means it may
be communicated to many. It was not Abraham
therefore, merely, or Isaac, or the Jews that were
to consider themselves as strangers and pilgrims
here ; but all mankind, and especially all Chris-
tians. The whole tenor of the Gospel illustrates
and confirms this lesson, and impresses it with
still more force than even the former dispensation.
The address of the Gospel is this : — " Ye are
pilgrims and strangers in this world : ye are not of
the world, even as Christ was not of the world.
Set your affections on things above, not on things

z 2

340 ON the christian's state

on the earth ; for" (to put it in a still stronger light,
to use an image still more forcible) " ye are dead,
and your life is hid with Christ in God."

It is of unspeakable importance to have a
practical conviction of this truth. If we have
not a just view of the nature of this life, we shall
be fundamentally wrong ; we shall be wrong, not
merely in an immaterial or in a collateral point,
but in the very principle from which we act. To
have a right knowledge of this life, is as necessary
as to know ourselves or to know God.

Let us, then, consider in what respects the image
of our being pilgrims and strangers here applies,
and what tempers and dispositions it supposes us
to possess.

The Christian is a pilgrim and a stranger upon
earth, because he is not at home there ; has not
there taken up his rest; has not obtained there
that state of established happiness which alone
can satisfy his soul. It is not there that he even
desires or seeks his happiness ; he is merely pass-
ing through the world ; his home is in another
country, a land afar off, a land glorious and infi-
nitely preferable to this ; — there his heart is, there
is the rest he earnestly desires, there are concen-
trated all his hopes of happiness ; onward, there-
fore, he travels ; and though sometimes weary with.

OF PILGRIMAGE ON EARTH. 34rl

many a painful step through rough and toilsome
ways, yet he is revived by the thought of being
continually nearer home, and that thought sup-
ports him in the tedious journey. When the
traveller meets with beautiful prospects, verdant
meads, cooling streams, delicious fruits, and
hospitable entertainment, they cheer and gladden
his progress : he enjoys them as refreshments by
the way ; but they do not tempt him to loiter, or
to forget that he is still far from home. He sur-
veys the countries through which he passes ; he
observes their manners, he mingles in society with
their inhabitants, but still he is not at home : he
still feels himself a stranger, whose chief business
it is to prosecute his journey through these foreign
countries, until he arrives at his own.

Such too, in a general point of view, is the
state of the Christian pilgrim. Let us enter more
particularly into it, and consider the dispositions
and views which, as a pilgrim and a stranger, he
is supposed to possess. — He is supposed, then, to
have heaven in view, as his home. A man's own
home is to be considered as the place which, above
all others, he values and loves. It is true that
other countries may be more beautiful, other
houses more convenient and splendid ; but the
laudable attachment to home, which seems im-
planted by nature in our hearts, is apt to over-

342 on the christian's state

balance every recommendation to which other
dwellings can lay claim. Home is the spot where
the social feelings reside, where all that is dear
and sacred seems to be centered ; the secure and
peaceful asylum where happiness herself seems
to fix her favourite habitation. And in this sense
should heaven be the Christian's home. It is to
be supposed, therefore, that he knows it well ; that
he is well acquainted with all its advantages ; that
he is familiar with the various and exquisite scenes
of enjoyment it affords ; that it is suited to all his
ideas of happiness, and that therefore he looks
towards it with longing expectation to be there, as
the traveller who, having ascended the summit
of some high mountain, and surveyed the extensive
prospect around him, fixes his eye upon that point
of the horizon where lies his beloved home, and
gazes upon it with such intenseness as almost to
persuade himself that he perceives the well-known
spot to which he hastens.

In this respect, however, it is to be feared,
that the greater part of nominal Christians are
exceedingly defective. With them, too often,
heaven is not a home. They hope, indeed, that
when they die they shall go to heaven, because
they believe that it is a place of great happiness ;
but still, were it left to themselves to choose when
they would go there, it would be very long before

OF PILGRIMAGE ON EARTH. 343

they went. Were it left to them to choose their
seat of happiness, it would not be heaven. They
have already a home here ; and they value heaven
as a kind of representation of that home — lovely
on account of its similitude to it, and because every-
thing which embitters that home will in heaven
be removed.

Not so with the real Christian, who is a pilgrim
and a stranger here : he dwells, fondly dwells,
upon the contemplation of heaven as his true
home ; and he values it, not on account of its like-
ness to this world, but its dissimilarity. There he
shall be with God and with Christ ; there he shall
possess a pure and holy nature ; there he shall
no more be overcome by temptations, or have to
struggle with a perverse disposition ; — there he shall
dwell in a land where God is loved and worshipped,
with perfect, cheerful, and constant devotion ;
where there is knowledge without ignorance, truth
without error, and enjoyment without sin. These
are the particulars which, from being always
desired and frequently contemplated, are deeply
engraven on his heart, as constituting the happiness
of heaven. Without these, he sees there can be
no true felicity ; arid that country, by whatever
distance he may be separated from it, is still his
home where he hopes ever to dwell, and to which
his fondest desires ever tend.

344 ON the christian's state

The idea of our being pilgrims and strangers
implies that we are travelling towards our home.
A stranger, it is true, may sit down and dwell
contentedly in a country in which he is an alien ;
and he may forget his home and native soil ; but
when the metaphor of a stranger and traveller
is used, such a case is not supposed : it implies,
on the contrary, that he is active and unwearied,
restless and impatient, in the prosecution of his
journey, being continually spurred on by the
desire of arriving at the place on which all his
thoughts are fixed.

Justly does this image illustrate the case of
a real Christian. His main business, his chief
interest in life, is to attain to heaven. He does
not leave it to chance whether he shall arrive
there or not; he does not contemplate it as a
good about which he is indifferent ; but he makes
it the first object of his solicitude, as it is that
of a traveller to return to his home. For this
purpose, he consults the Oracles of Truth with
earnest attention, to know the way, as a traveller
who has to pass through an intricate and un-
known country examines the map : he seeks direc-
tion from those who have travelled on the same
road : he prays earnestly for Divine guidance :
he watches with a godly jealousy against every
thing which may retard or obstruct his progress ;

OF PILGRIMAGE ON EARTH* 345

he is ready to pluck out the right eye, or to cut
off the right hand : he esteems not father nor
mother, houses or land, in comparison with the
salvation of his soul. And as a traveller often
feels a gloom when he reflects how far he is yet
from home, or is gladdened when he considers
that such a space is passed over; as he mourns
when unexpected accidents retard his journey,
and rejoices when he can pursue it with unin-
terrupted rapidity : so the Christian at one time
reflects with pain that he has been loitering in his
course, or has strayed out of the road, or gone
backward in his path ; but at another is inclined
to hope that he has made considerable progress,
and is ready to believe the difficulties of the
journey almost over. His hopes and fears, how-
ever, both rise from the same source : his success
and his disappointment contribute to the same
end ; — all things tend to increase the desire of
home, under the influence of which he still travels
stedfastly onward.

But, alas ! with how many is the case dread-
fully the reverse ! How many are there who take
no steps in the path towards heaven ! Well
might our Saviour say the way was narrow, and
few there be that find it ; for if we judge by the
ordinary pursuits, and hopes and pleasures, and
fears and pains of the Christian world at large,

346 on the christian's state

I fear we shall find but few who are evidently
travelling towards heaven as their home. The
principal aim of a man's life cannot well be con-
cealed from others; — and when we see a prevailing
desire to be rich or comfortable or respectable in
this world ; when we see men anxious mainly upon
points which respect these pursuits, and willing
to converse upon no other subjects, and to read
no books but such as relate to them ; when we
see them never apparently interested about their
souls, never inquiring with solicitude the way to
heaven, never afraid lest they should mistake it,
never joyful in the hope that they have made a
progress in it; when we see all this, surely we
cannot do violence to reason so far as to say, that
these men look upon heaven as their home, that
they are pressing towards it with the impatience
of travellers who are hastening to the end of their
journey, or that they are using their utmost efforts
to have an abundant entrance ministered to them
into the celestial kingdom.

The image contained in my text supposes also,
that a truly religious person does not set up his
rest in this life as if he were at home. He does
not build his chief hope of felicity upon the
possession of the things of time and sense. — The
man of this world has no thought of happiness
beyond this life. Exclusively devoted to schemes

OF PILGRIMAGE ON EARTH. 347

of earthly enjoyment, he encircles himself with
friends, amongst whom he spends his hours of
leisure : he contrives amusement, and variety in
amusements ; and if his sun of prosperity shines
unclouded, he is at rest, he has all that his heart
can wish. So in idea had the rich man in the
Parable, who determined to erect larger barns,
and to multiply his stores. But, alas ! he who
builds his hopes upon this world builds upon the
sand. He who expects what God has declared
to be hopeless, must be disappointed. God has
pronounced a curse upon the earth, and upon the
man who looks to it for happiness ; and foolish
is he who thinks to evade that sentence. Instead
of his being able to say, " Soul, take thine ease,"
behold the reverse which frequently takes place !
Friends are removed, neighbours are contentious,
children become disobedient, splendour palls upon
the sight, amusement becomes insipid, losses and
disappointments succeed, health decays, passions
corrode the mind, diseases and pains torment
the frame ; and the boasted Babel of human
bliss crumbles into pieces, leaving only a melan^
choly' ruin as the monument of the folly of the
projector.

Not so with the real Christian — he confesses
himself a pilgrim and stranger here below, and
therefore does not build on this world his principal

348 ON the christian's state

'hope. I say, his principal hope — for he does not
refuse the rest, and peace, and other temporal
blessings which God has provided for him. He
•receives them with thanksgiving and gratitude to
Him who gave them. But then he does not desire
them as his portion. He continually looks beyond
them. He travels on to heaven amidst a country
smiling with verdure, still valuing his home as
dearly as if the scene around him were barren, and
the road rough and painful.

The same principle also leads him rightly to
estimate the disappointments and troubles of life.
Shocks severe to nature are received by him,
though not without emotion, yet without despair.
When he mourns, it is not as one without hope.
He has not lost his all, when he loses much.

However dreary and toilsome the journey, he
refreshes himself by remembering the nearness
of his home : with whatever opposition he meets,
with whatever difficulties he struggles, under what-
ever embarrassments he labours, his consolation
is still, that it is but for a little time, and that he
shall soon be at home. " Shall I be dejected,"
he cries, " because in this journey of a day the
accommodations on the road are defective? Am
I to despair, because the inn in which I lodge
is uncomfortable? O rather let me hasten on
my journey, and pursue my ultimate object with

OF PILGRIMAGE ON EARTH. 349

more eagerness : in this I shall suffer no disap-
pointment. In heaven will be all the happiness
my soul can desire. Gird thyself, then, O my
soul; hold on thy way without being dispirited;
yet a little while, and ample amends will be made
for every suffering. In the mean time, therefore,
let not my faith and my patience fail."

This view of the world also serves to give a
just estimate of death. — To Christian pilgrims
what is death? It is the end of their toilsome
journey. They have arrived at home : they have
reached their Father's house, and are received
like children long expected and greatly desired.
Should we repine that the fatigues of the journey
are over ; that the wearisome way which cost
many an hour of suffering is now ended ; that
its difficulties, its pains, its dangers, are now sur-
mounted ? Is it a matter of grief that the weary
traveller has entered into the rest he has so long
desired; that the end, so long pursued, is attained;
that the prayers, so often made, are fully answered ;
that the fears, so often felt, are banished for ever;
that the hopes, so often the source of comfort,
are now. lost in a blessed reality ? No ! Death
in this view is not a scene of terror, but the
joyful entrance into bliss: not the extinction of
all our pleasures, but the happy termination of
every sorrow. " Blessed are the dead which die

350 on the christian's state

in the Lord : even so, saith the Spirit, for they
rest from their labours."

To conclude — Much, we see, depends upon
the view we entertain of the nature of this life ;
much of our peace of mind, and still more of
our religious progress. Hence, it appears, a
worldly mind is far more incompatible with re-
ligion than is generally supposed. That it may
be an obstacle to piety is commonly admitted ;
but, in fact, it is much more — it is its absolute de-
struction. Religion supposes a spirit and temper
Avhich cannot consist with a worldly or selfish
principle. Hence also we learn the necessity of
being principally solicitous for the welfare of our
souls. Heaven is a home to those only whose
dispositions and views are prepared for it. There
must be something heavenly in the state of the
temper and inclinations before its enjoyments can
be desired. And, above all, there must be a
knowledge and love of that blessed Redeemer
who has purchased heaven for us, in order to
make us meet for it. — Let not the careless and
indifferent; let not those who are " lovers of
pleasure more than lovers of God;" let not the
worldly, the selfish, the sensual, flatter themselves
that heaven is their home. They deceive them-
selves, if they think so. They are of this world,

OF PILGRIMAGE ON EARTH. 351

and their nature must be renewed after the Divine
image, before they can be admitted into that
seat of purity and holiness. — Are we then num-
bered amongst those who are treading in the
steps of Christ, following him as our pattern and
guide, studying, as his subjects, to be conformed
to his will, purifying ourselves even as he is
pure? Never, till this is our true state, can we
claim a portion with those for whom he has pro-
vided mansions of glory in the world above.
Seeing that there remaineth a rest for the people
of God, and that we have the promise of enter-
ing into that rest, let us constantly entertain a
holy fear lest any of us should seem to come
short of it; for we are made partakers of Christ,
if we " hold the beginning of our confidence sted-
fast unto the end."

352

SERMON XXII.

ON FASTING.

PREACHED ON THE SUNDAY PRECEDING A
PUBLIC FAST.

2 CHRON. XX. 3.

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek
the Lord> and proclaimed a fast throughout
all Judah.

AS there may probably be some persons amongst
us, who have never understood the nature of
fasting as a religious service, or even seriously
inquired into its design and utility, I propose in
this discourse to give as plain and full an account
of it as I am able ; answering, at the same time,
the objections which may suggest themselves
against its use.

A fast, then, may be defined to be a voluntary
abstinence from food, as a token of our humilia-

ON FASTING. 353

tion before God. Repentance, it is true, is seated
in the heart. There may be deep repentance,
where it is not manifested by any outward sign or
expression : — and, on the contrary, there may be
much of the outward marks of repentance, where
there is no inward feeling; no real sorrow for sin,
or strong desire to avoid it.^

It may here, then, be asked, — " Of what use is
this outward sign ? If we do not possess the repen-
tance which it signifies, it is an act of mockery
before God ; and, if we do, God who sees our
hearts cannot need to be informed of their state
by any external expression."

To this I answer, in the first place, that if we
have no real repentance in our hearts, the outward
expression of it is but mockery. It is indisputable
that those who are decidedly and manifestly im-
penitent had better not pretend to fast ; for such
fasts are an abomination to God. Such were the
fasts which were kept by the hypocritical Israelites,
and condemned by the Prophets. " Wherefore
have we fasted" (they said), " and thou seest not?
Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou
takest no knowledge? Behold" (it is replied),
" in the day of your fast, ye find pleasure,
and exact all your labours." In other words, in
those public fasts, in which they went up to the
temple with great solemnity and appearance of

vol. r. 2 a

354 ON FASTING.

devotion, they privately at home spent the day in
pleasure, and exacted of their servants their usual
labour. " Ye fast," it is added, " for strife and
debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness."
Instead of cleansing your hearts, you are indulging
thoughts of anger and strife, and devising schemes
of injustice and oppression. " Ye shall not fast
in this manner, to make your voice to be heard
on high," if you would have the Almighty answer
you. " Is it such a fast as this that I have
chosen ? Is it for a man to bow down his head
as a bulrush, to spread sackcloth and ashes under
him?" Do I, that is to say, want you merely
to cover yourselves with sackcloth, and put ashes
on your head ; and bow down your heads me-
chanically, as a bulrush bends before the wind,
without any real submission of the heart! " Wilt
thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to
the Lord?" — It is evident, that a fast, disgraced
by such insincerity, could not be acceptable to
a pure and holy God. It was mere hypocrisy,
and therefore God says to such corrupt worship-
pers. " Bring no more vain oblations : incense
is an abomination to me : your new moons and
your appointed feasts my soul hateth ; they are
a trouble to me, I am weary to bear them."
But would you have your fasts acceptable, then
let your practice correspond with your worship : —

ON FASTING. 355

u Wash you, make you clean ; put away the evil
of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to
do evil, learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve
the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the
widow." It is plain, then, that where the heart
is not interested, and where sin, so far from
being repented of and forsaken, is even cherished
on the fast-day itself, such fasting is abomination
in the sight of God. The case of such persons
is clear. They had better not pretend to fast,
than fast in such hypocrisy.

But there is a large class of persons of a dif-
ferent description, who may, perhaps unjustly,
apply to themselves what is denounced in Scrip-
ture against those gross hypocrites : I mean, such
persons as secretly acknowledge their sinfulness
before God, and would willingly manifest their
penitence if not restrained by the fear of osten-
tation. Now I beg leave to remind such per-
sons, that fasting, like all other external acts of
religion, is not appointed merely to shew that
we are religious, but also to assist in making
us so. The great bulk of a congregation which
worship God on the Sabbath, consists of persons
who acknowledge themselves to be far from being
in all respects what they ought to be ; but who
come to church, both that they may learn their
duty, and that they may obtain help of God to
2 a 2

35G ON FASTING.

practise it. It is sufficient that they are sincere
and possess a real desire of amendment in order
to justify their worship of God. If none were
to enter the house of God but those who are
already pious, by what means are others to
become so ? We attend the ordinances of God
in the hope of improvement, as the sick attend
a physician. By nature we are all corrupt ; and
the use of religion is to reclaim us. This, how-
ever, is often effected only by slow means ; by
endeavours frequently faint at first, but becoming,
through God's blessing upon the means used,
more and more successful. We worship God,
not as angels, but as sinful men ; not so much
to glorify him, as that we may be improved and
saved ourselves. Now this being the case with
the bulk of mankind, how ought they to act with
respect to fasting? Doubtless exactly in the
same manner as with respect to the other appoint-
ed modes of worship. They should consider it
as an institution calculated to be highly useful
to them, if they employ it properly ; and there-
fore it is their duty, and ought to be their business,
thus to employ it. Now I would ask such persons,
Have you no sins to answer for ? Have you
not incurred God's displeasure ? Ought you
not to live in a much holier manner than you
do? If your consciences answer, as I doubt

ON FASTING. 357

not they will, in the affirmative; then why should
you not humble yourselves before God? Here
is an opportunity offered jou of so doing. Here
is a day set apart, on which it is not merely con-
venient to fast, but on which it is your absolute
and solemn duty to humble yourselves. Why,
then, should you not embrace this opportunity of
acknowledging your sinfulness, and imploring
God's pardon and blessing? If you still say, It
will appear ostentatious; I answer, that if you
alone were to keep the fast, it might wear the
appearance of ostentation : therefore, in such a
case, the rule ought to be most strictly observed,
" Thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head,"
instead of covering it with ashes, as was usual
on such occasions, " that thou appear not to
men to fast." All ostentation is odious and
criminal. But, on the contrary, in the case of
public fasting, it becomes a duty, not only really
to fast, but to shew openly your compliance with
a prescribed service, and gladly to embrace the
opportunity of humbling yourselves before God ;
and if you still feel a reluctance to comply with
this ordinance, examine your hearts, to discover
whence this reluctance springs. Is it not your
duty to humble yourselves before God ? Then,
why do you not perform it? Or what good
reason can you give for neglecting it? May there
not be other and more questionable motives mixed

358 ON FASTING.

with your dread of ostentation ? To say nothing
of more serious causes of unwillingness; causes
which go to bring into suspicion the very existence
of religion in the heart ; may it not be, that you
are unduly afraid of appearing singular, that you
shrink from the ridicule which may be awakened
by this open profession of religion ? It undoubt-
edly requires some degree of fortitude to avow
a determination to be religious; and, in many cases,
the fear of shame acts where we least suspect it.

But again it may be urged, " If zve feel repen-
tance in our hearts, God, zvho sees our hearts,
does not require to be informed of it by any ex-
ternal expression" — No: but the same may be
affirmed of prayer, Why should we pray ? God
knows our wants, and does not need that we
should formally state them to him. The same
also may be said of all the means of grace
which God has appointed. If our hearts are
right with God, what occasion is there for using
them ; and if they are not, what benefit can arise
from their use ? All such reasoning proves too
much. It is founded upon a false view of human
nature, and of the means by which God changes
and rectifies the heart. God, it is true, could
infuse grace into the heart ; could make us angels
in a moment; but it is not his will so to do.
He appoints certain means to that end ; the effi-
cacy of which, if they are diligently and devoutly

ON FASTING. 359

used, is certain, though often gradual and slow.
Admitting, then, that a man does not feel the
repentance and humiliation which he ought to
feel, yet ought he not to feel them ? And ought
he not to seek them in the channels which God
hath appointed for communicating them ? If he
calls to mind his sins; if he considers the majesty
and holiness and goodness of God, against whom
he has sinned ; if he makes use of outward humi-
liation, as an indication that he ought to feel, and
desires to feel, inward humiliation, he at least
does that which has a tendency to produce it.
I am sure that a contrary conduct has no sucli
tendency. The words of our blessed Lord are
strictly in point ; — " To him that hath shall be
given." Let a man endeavour to do what he can,
and what he ought ; and however imperfectly it
may be done, the blessing of God will rest upon
his endeavours. If, however, the question be
repeated, When a man feels real repentance in his
heart, what occasion can there be for the external
expression of it ? I answer, that, in proportion
as men feel it, they will be disposed to shew it.
No truly pious man can be unwilling to attend
any ordinances or means of grace, which are cal-
culated to call his religious feelings into exercise.
Indeed, where the feelings themselves exist, the
exercise of them is not only natural, but necessary.
The very idea of true humiliation of heart implies

360 ON FASTING.

every thing humble and lowly in the outward
demeanour.

But there may be some disposed to argue; " Ad-
mitting all that has been said, why should fasting
in particular be selected as an external mark of
humiliation ?" I answer, that had it been the will
of God, doubtless something else might have been
chosen. But, yet, none other occurs to me as
a less objectionable expression of sorrow and
humility. Fasting, it should be remembered,
has always been the public token of humility;
and this in heathen nations, as well as amongst
Jews and Christians. Now this alone furnishes
a strong plea for its adoption and continuance.
It is sanctioned by the highest antiquity, and by
the most general usage ; enjoined of God upon
the Jews ; practised by our Saviour and his dis*
ciplesj and recommended by them to the Christian
world. Nor is this all ; — fasting, it may be con-
fidently said, has all the qualities which might
reasonably be expected in an external act of hu-
miliation. In the first place, it is a duty easily
practised ; requiring no apparatus ; connected with
no expense ; simple in its own nature ; equally
adapted to all ranks, climates, and places. More-
over, it involves, as every mark of humiliation
should, an act of self-denial ; and this act, not
so severe as to unfit it for general use, nor so
slight as inadequately to express its meaning.

ON FASTING. 36l

It has, moreover, this peculiar recommendation,
that it is an act connected with the mortification
of those very appetites, whence many of the sins,
for which we thus humble ourselves, proceed.
Fulness of diet and unrestrained indulgence of
appetite are frequent sources of intemperance, lust,
pride, and extravagance. That act, therefore, has
surely a singular propriety, which has a tendency to
correct the evil for which it expresses our contrition.

Still it may be objected, that fasting may disorder
persons of weak health, and thus indispose them
even for the service of the day. Undoubtedly
it may : and therefore such persons are not only
allowed, but bound, to use great caution in the
performance of this duty. God is not a harsh
master : nor does he ever enjoin such duties as
are either impossible or injurious. Under the
Jewish dispensation, indeed, a total fast was some-
times enjoined under severe penalties. But the
spirit of the Christian system insists only on the
principle, and leaves the application of it to the
case and conscience of the worshipper. It requires
repentance, humiliation, and mortification of the
flesh, but leaves us to shew that repentance, to
discover that humiliation, and to practise that
mortification, as circumstances may admit, and our
consciences direct.

If, therefore, it is asked, — What rule can you

562 ON FASTING.

lay down as lo the length and nature of abstinence?
I answer, — None — and none is required. It Is
a voluntary act of self-denial. One man may be
able to fast far longer than another, without the
same mortification to himself, or injury to his con-
stitution. Another cannot even fast at all ; and
yet may be equally desirous of humbling himself
before God. Let no one, then, judge or condemn
another. The Apostle's rule applies, in this
respect :•— " Meat commendeth us not to God ;
for neither if we eat, are we the better ; neither
if we eat not, are we the worse :" supposing, that
is, in both cases, that the person eats or abstains
uprightly and conscientiously. In like manner,
no precise rule can be laid down respecting the
kind of food which we may use. Formerly a far
too artificial, as well as a too general, rule was esta-
blished— that to eat fish was compatible with fast-
ing, but to eat flesh unlawful. In whatever right
motive such a rule originated, it was obviously
overstrained, and misapplied in a multitude of
instances. The only rules, perhaps, which can
safely be laid down are these: — To abridge your-
self of all food which you can without injury
spare ; and, in using necessary refreshment, to use
such alone as is least gratifying to the palate.
Some self-denial ought to be exercised. This is
essential to the nature of a fast ; but the degree

4

-Jr

ON FA STING. 563

of it must be measured by every man's conscience
and constitution. In general, it would appear,
that one entire meal might be spared. But I am
ashamed to dwell on minute circumstances. Let
there be the real wish to humble yourself before
God. Feel strongly and deeply that you are a
sinner, desire earnestly to manifest your contrition,
and you will be at no loss to determine in what _|
manner it shall be shewn. One point is to be
remembered, that it is a voluntary sacrifice. No
person should be compelled to fast. Its very
essence is, that it is voluntary, a willing act of
humiliation before God.

To this last statement it has sometimes been
objected, that a " public command to fast is a
species of compulsion, and therefore inconsistent
with the notion of a voluntary act of humiliation."
But to this I answer — that all which is done by
the command of Government is this : it renders
that convenient which might otherwise be very
inconvenient, and that practicable which might
be otherwise impracticable. It is proper, that
when the judgments of God visit a nation, it
should humble itself before Him. It is proper
also that this humiliation should be as general
and as solemn as possible. A day, therefore, is
set apart by authority, in which all may fulfil the
universal duty. It is rendered generally prac-
ticable and .convenient, by a general suspension of

364 ON FASTING.

business. Whether, indeed, a man will avail him-
self of this opportunity of humiliation, is a matter
which lies between himself and his God. But
let him remember, he is responsible to God for
refusing; and therefore let him carefully weigh
his reasons for such refusal. I am not speaking
of those cases where a conscience, scrupulous
but perhaps ill-informed, may interfere with the
discharge of this duty. But, in all others., every
good man, I should imagine, would joyfully use
the prescribed occasion of drawing near to God,
and prostrating himself before him, in order to
enliven his repentance and strengthen his reso-
lutions, to confess his wickedness and pray for
grace to subdue it. A day thus spent is indeed
a day redeemed from the folly and vanity of life.
— And here let it be observed, that the mere ab-
stinence from food constitutes but a small part
of the solemnity of a fast-day. The essence of
the solemnity consists in the religious and holy
manner in which the day is spent. It is a day of
humiliation, as well as a clay of fasting; and indeed
these two things are inseparable in their nature.
The fasting is only a part of the humiliation. But
humiliation supposes the heart to be brought into
a right disposition ; and this demands retirement,
self-examination, and religious exercises. This,
then, my brethren, I would earnestly press upon
you. If all cannot fast, all can enter into their

ON FASTING.

365

chambers, and supplicate their God. If, then,
you desire to know how you are to keep the fast,
I refer you to your own hearts. If they are deeply
sensible of the injury you have offered to God,
you will at once discover in what manner you
should keep the day. You will be much alone.
You will use extraordinary prayer. You will
direct your attention to your own individual sins.
National guilt is made up of the guilt of indi-
viduals, and national repentance of individual
repentance. You will confess your guilt before
God. You will select for meditation those passages
of Scripture which are particularly appropriate to
penitents, such as the Penitential Psalms. You
will earnestly implore the pardon of your own sins.
You will extend your prayers also to national
events and public characters. You will pray for
the king, that he may be protected and blessed ;
for the parliament, that they may have wisdom
from above to guide them, and that all their con-
sultations may tend to the glory of God and the
good of man ; for the ministers of state, the judges,
the magistrates, the clergy, that each, in their
several stations, may fulfil their solemn and
appointed duties. Thus you will prepare your
heart for the worship of God; and thus prepared,
you will worship him in his house with a devout
spirit. You will endeavour to join in the service

566 ON FASTING.

without languor or distraction. You will carry
the same spirit and temper throughout the day. It
will not be to you a day of worldly business ; of
recreation, of idleness, of worldly conversation,
but a day consecrated to God, and devoted to
religion. A fast-day, kept universally in this
manner, would indeed be a national blessing.

There is yet another objection which might be
urged, especially by some of the poorer classes —
that it is unreasonable to expect them to give up a
day's labour, and to abridge their diet who scarcely
ever enjoy a full meal, and whose families can ill
spare eveta the labour of a single day. Now, it
must be admitted, that there is something appa-
rently unequal and hard in the case of the poor,
I allow, that a greater sacrifice is made by them,
if they keep the day holy, than by others. I would
contend also, that the rich ought not to let their
workmen suffer in their temporal comforts by such
an appointment. Still I would say to the poor
what I before said to others — " Remember, it is a
voluntary sacrifice : God enjoins no man to make
it who is unwilling." But though the sacrifice is
greater in your case than in that of others, it is
surely not too great to make for Him who. gives
you life, and food, and raiment, and all whic<h<ycm
possess. Remember, my poorer brethren, this life
is not all your existence. It is only a very small

ON FASTING. 367

part of it. Do not therefore call that time lost
which is not spent in labouring for the body ; God
can easily restore tenfold your loss in the present
life, and can give you life eternal. There are many
who labour and toil incessantly without effect,
because the blessing of God does not give success
to their labours. I do not say, that piety will
always better your worldly circumstances ; but
this I say, that no man will really be a loser by
serving God. Piety will at least prevent the
excesses arising from debauchery, extravagance,
and folly. The wages of a single day are a cheap
price for habits which secure a blessing to every
day of our lives. c^_

Such then, my brethren, are some of the most
common objections to fasting, and such some of
the advantages which may be expected to result
from it. — As to the first, I think you will see,
that little importance is to be assigned to them.
The benefits of public fasts, on the contrary, are
established by a succession of facts in the history
of the world, as recorded in the Scriptures. God
had declared that he would destroy Ninevah ; but
Ninevah repented, and turned to the Lord with
fasting, and the Lord pardoned it. Ahab, who
was said to have sold himself to work wickedness,
at length humbled himself and fasted, and " put
on sackcloth;" and God said to his Prophet,

568 ON FASTING.

Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself: I will
not bring the evil in his days." Jehoshaphat, in
the chapter of our text, is described as suddenly
attacked by a large army. He set himself to seek
the Lord, and proclaimed a fast. And, on the
very day of the fast, the Spirit of the Lord came
upon Jahaziel, proclaiming that the Lord himself
would fight for Judah, and destroy the enemy.
And, accordingly, the army of Jehoshaphat stood
still, and saw the invaders perish by their own
hands. These, my brethren, are so many monu-
ments erected for the consolation and instruction
of after-ages. They console us by the assurance,
that the true penitent is the peculiar charge of
Heaven. They teach us a lesson never to be
forgotten by kings, nor by their people, that
" righteousness exalteth a nation, and that happy
is the people who have the Lord for their God."

END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

Ellerton and Henderson, Printers,
Johnson's Court, Fleet Street, London.

u